Author: Daniel Williams

A cross-party group consisting of 30 Members of Parliament and peers has urged the Chancellor to keep the UK Government’s promise and officially roll out the planned £2 stake on local fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs). Otherwise, the group said that it will seek an amendment to the Finance Bill. Earlier in October, a cross-party group of Members of Parliament sent a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in order to provide him with more arguments in favour of the immediate implementation of the £2 maximum stake. The group cited…

The ACT Gambling and Racing Commission revealed that the number of breaches of local gambling laws has declined by 88% since 2014. At the same time, the gambling regulatory body more and more turns towards raising the society’s awareness of possible gambling-related harm rather than to monetary penalties. The latest annual report which was rolled out by the Commission revealed that there were only 13 gambling law breaches in 2017/2018. The figure represents a 50% decline in comparison to the number of breaches in 2016/2017, and even a larger decline…

A new memorandum of understanding inked between the State Government and Clubs NSW will give the chance to families of gambling addicts to have their loved ones suspended from gambling facilities. Under the new opportunity, called a “third-party exclusion” plan, problem gamblers’ family members will be able to anonymously require from gambling venues to ban their loved ones in order for the latter to get professional treatment set to help them beat their addiction. Josh Landis, Clubs NSW’s executive manager of public affairs, explained that under the policy, if a…

Tauranga City Council has made a proposal for the first step towards eliminating poker machines in the city, as it is to review the policy which sets out the number and location of gambling venues which could be set up in Tauranga. The policy also sets out the number of pokies which can operate in the city. Public consultations on the so-called Gambling Venues Policy 2019 are set to open on October 15th, with the entire community being given the chance to share their opinion at the City Council’s website…

A Warrnambool, Victoria-based organisation which is aimed at providing help and support for problem gamblers and their families has explained that the harm inflicted by gambling on such people’s lives cannot be measured only in money but is a lot larger than that. Speaking during the events of the Gambling Harm Awareness Week, Tracie McPherson who is currently the manager of therapeutic and children’s services at Bethany Community Support, shared that gambling-related harm is also measured in the impact it has on people’s lives, as well as on the lives…

Residents of Whittlesea have backed the local council’s efforts to reduce the number of poker machines in the municipality. Recently, a community attitudes and liveability survey has been conducted by the local council in order for the latter to examine the characteristics, needs, behaviours and expectations of the Whittlesea community. Various aspects of local people’s lives, including employment, health and well-being, gambling habits, environmental sustainability, etc. were reviewed at the time of the survey, in order for the city council to get a better perspective of the community. As a…

Pupils at St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Salisbury, Wilts, have revealed that gambling operators have been literally bombarding them with ads. Some of the students have been among the 650 teenagers who have taken part in trial lessons which have been especially held in order to raise the under-aged individual’s awareness of possible gambling-related harm. The trial lessons have been designed and held after the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has released a report suggesting that up to 25,000 of the children between 11 and 16 years can be categorised as…

The UK-based gambling operator Rank Group has felt a backlash from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) for its failure to comply with the regulatory body’s customer protection rules. The company will be forced to pay £500,000 for three major failures in terms of ensuring protection for players who suffer from problem gambling. An investigation held by the Commission showed that the company failed to interact with a customer who was demonstrating problem gambling behaviour, reached him during a period of self-exclusion and also failed to comply with the rules under…

A cross-party coalition consisting of political parties and Church of England representatives has insisted that a whistle-to-whistle ban on gambling advertising during live sports events is just not enough. Instead, the coalition between the Conservative peer in the House of Lords Lord Chadington and the Church of England, the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party has demanded from minister to close the loophole which provides gambling operators with the chance to target children and more vulnerable individuals through their ads offering “live odds” bets both on…

Mental health specialists and representatives of GambleAware have revealed that Ireland needs to urgently roll out a nation-wide survey to reveal actual problem gambling and gambling addiction rates in the country. As reported by the Irish Examiner, the Health Research Board (HRB) reveived a freedom of information request, has shown that a total of 195 people were assessed as problem gamblers and faced treatment for gambling addiction back in 2016. In comparison, there were 208 such cases in 2015. Unfortunately, Colin O’Gara, a psychiatrist and addiction therapist, claims that the…