Author: Daniel Williams

The calls for stronger regulation of the Irish gambling industry have been heard by the Dáil, which could consider further measures to proceed with. For some time now, the gambling sector has been the centrepiece of some fierce debates calling for tighter regulatory control on these operations. Earlier, the local Republican Party – Fianna Fáil – has proposed a piece of legislation aimed at providing better protection for more vulnerable individuals and ensuring that gambling operations are offered in a fair and transparent environment. As Casino Guardian has previously reported,…

The two vandals who smashed up some fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) and television screens in a Ladbrokes betting shop in Cheltenham were released yesterday, with the judge imposing 18-month community orders for both of them. The 27-year-old Aaron Cawley and the 31-year-old John Dymock both confessed that they took part in the criminal act on December 10th 2016. The two defendants destroyed a few TV and FOBTs screens, with the act being caught on a closed-circuit television (CCTV). Under the judge’s ruling, Aaron Cawley would have to complete 250 hours…

Aaron Cawley, an infamous football hooligan, yesterday admitted that it was him who shattered some television and fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) screens at a Cheltenham-located Ladbrokes retail betting shop on December 10th, 2016. The smashed-up screens’ worth was estimated to £20,000. As explained by Prosecutor Charley Pattison to Gloucester crown court’s Judge Ian Lawrie QC, the gambling operator was not able to use its Cheltenham betting shop for gambling for three days apart from the costs of the damage. According to the prosecution, the Ladbrokes’ total losses were boosted to…

A new independent Irish gambling regulator could force gambling operators to close gambling addicts’ accounts, or otherwise, impose significant fines on them under plans of the Government to tackle gambling-related harm. According to local media reports, the Minister for Justice and Equality, Charles Flanagan, is expected to present the proposal to Cabinet later today, as part of a new crackdown sought to be imposed on gambling companies. The new restraints to be imposed on operators also include some new limits to be set on gambling advertising on TV and on…

The strategic consulting and customised research firm MECN published its 2018 Spring Edition of its Online Gambling Quarterly report, revealing some of the most important trends, as well as financial, marketing, product and lottery analyses of the iGaming market of the first quarter of 2018. The firm issued an extensive report about the current and future online gambling industry climate, as well as the company and product trends on the international iGaming market. Business Climate in the Online Gambling Industry The firm put the online gambling industry climate as a…

A local addiction treatment service has shared that the number of gambling addicts in Ireland is a lot larger than the official estimate. The Times has reported that according to the Rutland Centre’s Chief Executive Officer Maebh Leahy the number of problem gamblers in the country is almost three times higher than the estimate provided by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland. As explained by Ms. Leahy, the Institute had used the 2010 statistics when announcing that there were approximately 40,000 gambling addicts in the country. Ms. Leahy claimed…

Yesterday, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) published a response of its Executive Director Tim Miller to the findings of the progress report launched by the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board (RGSB). As revealed by the major gambling regulatory body of the UK, the above-mentioned report has once again proved that there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of customer protection and tackling gambling-related harm. The Commission explained that some progress was marked in delivering the National Responsible Gambling Strategy, but also shared its concern with the…

The organisation focused on keeping the integrity of sports betting, ESSA, revealed an increased number of suspicious betting alerts over the first quarter of 2018. According to report released by the global betting integrity body, a total of 50 cases of such betting alerts were made over the first three months of the year to the relevant authorities. Nine sports were involved in the cases over 2018 Q1, including football, tennis and table tennis, volleyball and beach volleyball, basketball, badminton, ice hockey and eSports. As revealed by ESSA, most cases…

The beginning of the week saw the main gambling regulatory authority unveil its business plan, outlining its focus and major goals for the period 2018-2019. This is the first of the three plans expected to be published over the three-year strategy of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). The business plan published by the Gambling Commission reveals how the regulatory authority intends to keep the consumers’ interests protected over the next year. In addition, the Commission has unveiled plans to prevent gambling-related harm inflicted on customers and the wider public, optimise…

In April 2018, The Lotteries Council held its Annual Conference and Networking Event, which was aimed to provide a better perspective of the UK lottery sector, with a number of exhibitors and industry officials taking part in the event. The major gambling regulatory body of the UK – the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) – also took part in the Conference, with its Executive Director Tim Miller participating in the second speaker session on April 18th. Mr. Miller spoke of the relationship that UK lotteries and good causes always shared and…