Author: Daniel Williams

Durham County Councillor Joy Allen, who strongly backed the latest changes in the UK gambling sector, welcomed the recently-announced restrictions on gambling saying that the amendments could save lives. Ms. Allen is known for her efforts in lobbying with the Legal Government Association (LGA) for adequate reforms to be brought to the industry in order to prevent players from being affected by gambling-related harm. Only a week ago, the UK Government announced plans to reduce the maximum stake allowed on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs), which offered players to place up…

The major gambling regulatory body in the UK – the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) – has questioned the effectiveness of the national online self-exclusion scheme called GAMSTOP. After a number of articles regarding the results of the UK Government to reduce maximum stake of fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) have been released in the local media over the last few weeks, some questions regarding the effectiveness of the scheme emerged in the UKGC and the local Remote Gaming Association (RGA). As The Guardian reported a few days ago, the Gambling Commission’s…

Today, the Premier of South Australia, Steven Marshall announced some development plans for the Adelaide Casino upgrade. Mr. Marshall revealed that construction is set to begin in June and will be carried out at the price of AU$330 million. As revealed by the Premier, it is SkyCity Entertainment Group that has signed a construction deal with Hansen Yuncken, an Australian commercial construction company, in order to complete the expansion of the Adelaide Casino. Hansen Yunken was already involved in the initial scoping and development of the casino back in 1985.…

According to a recently-held poll which results were released today, approximately 50% of the American citizens support sports betting legalization in the US. The survey, conducted by the PublicMind, an independent research group of the Fairleigh Dickinson University, showed that the poll’s respondents think the gambling expansion must be made not only because of the additional tax revenue which is expected to be brought to the states but also because many people are already betting illegally. PublicMind Poll revealed that its latest survey found that half of the American adults…

The UK Government is to launch a consultation on whether further restrictions to National Lottery age limit should be made to see under 18s banned from playing National Lottery games. The change of the current status quo has been proposed as part of the authorities’ attempt to protect vulnerable people from gambling-related harm. The Culture Minister Tracey Crouch revealed her intentions to gather further information about the effect the above-mentioned games have on individuals aged below 18 who are currently allowed to play. Anti-gambling campaigners have shared their concerns that…

A new gambling-related bill was rolled out in Japan. Yesterday, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, its coalition partner Komeito and the nominal opposition party Nippon Ishin no Kai submitted a piece of legislation to the Lower House, with the measure being especially focused on dealing with problem gambling. The new bill comes as an attempt of Japan’s major political parties to address the increasing public fears that the opening of the country’s casino gambling market will result in a sharp increase in the number of people suffering from gambling addiction.…

Today, the UK Government published its final decision on the review of controversial fixed-odds betting machines (FOBTs) and social responsibility measures. As part of the review, the Government announced its resolution to cut the maximum stake allowed on the local gaming machines from £100 to £2 only. A few months ago, the Government released a consultation on gaming machines and social responsibility measures which took place from October 31st, 2017 to January 23rd, 2018. The main objective of the FOBTs review was to make sure that the right balance is…

The Japanese Government has made a decision to allow poker in local casinos under the new Integrated Resorts Bill which is set to allow the establishment of casino venues as part of larger entertainment resorts in the country. The local Government had originally planned to lift the gambling ban only to allow games of chance, such as blackjack or roulette, in order to keep fairness in the Japanese gambling market. However, it finally agreed that casino dealers at the poker tables would be able to keep the integrity and fairness…

The state of Victoria is set to impose an 8% point-of-consumption tax on online gambling operators – a rate that is considerably smaller than the one introduced or considered in other states across the country. The treasurer of Victoria, Tim Pallas, officially announced that the new tax on remote gambling companies would be rolled out in January and is expected to bring an amount of AU$30 million on an annual basis. Some of the opponents of the new point-of-consumption tax have expressed their fears that the rate imposed in Victoria…

Earlier this week, the Parliament of Malta has greenlighted the third and final reading of the new Gaming Act, which is aimed at making the jurisdictional profile of the country more attractive as far as gambling regulatory functions are concerned. The implementation of the new Gaming Act will enhance the supervisory role of the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), especially when it comes to compliance and enforcement functions under which regulatory objectives are achieved. In addition, the piece of legislation will ensure that all gambling operations on the territory of the…