Author: Daniel Williams

The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) announced on Friday that Tabcorp has been handed a hefty fine for breaching Victoria’s responsible gambling regulations. The fine stands at AU$4.6 million, and according to Commission Chair Fran Thorn, it reflects the severity of Tabcorp’s misconduct. She further stressed that the issues were systemic and resulted in one client being exposed to significant gambling harm. Licensees’ Obligations in Victoria In Victoria, each gambling company that wishes to acquire a licence to operate in the state must provide the VGCCC with a…

The annual Treatment and Support Survey commissioned by the charity GambleAware and conducted by YouGov has found that as many as 1.65 million children across Great Britain live with family members who are struggling with gambling harm. These children, in contrast to under-18s who reside in households not impacted by problematic wagering, are four times more likely to become victims of problem gambling themselves. The Figures More than 18,000 individuals took part in the survey, and nearly 20% of participants told researchers they used to be affected others when they…

Liquor & Gaming New South Wales announced on Tuesday that Playup Interactive, a fantasy sports betting operator, has been handed a fine of over AU$580,000 in Downing Centre Local Court for offering illegal bonuses to consumers. In New South Wales, wagering companies are prohibited from advertising promotional offers to individuals who do not have betting accounts, especially when the bonuses are advertised in an effort to convince them to open an account. Promotions encouraging an existing client to keep an existing wagering account open are considered illegal as well, as…

This August remains a difficult month for the Albanese Government as criticism surrounding its approach toward tackling gambling ads continues to dominate across media and social networks. Many oppose Labour’s plans to implement a partial ban on the promotion of gambling, but those in favour of balanced measures have argued that free-to-air media will suffer if the government pulls the plug on its gambling ad revenue and bans betting advertising outright. The Australia Institute has proposed a solution to this issue in the form of a 2% levy on gambling…

Declan Cregan, a recovering gambling addict who began betting when he was a teenager, spoke with the BBC on his struggles with gambling harm and the work he now does with the charity Gambling With Lives to educate teenagers in Northern Ireland about the risks of wagering. According to Cregan, his interest in gambling began when he first scored a £7 win by staking £1 on a roulette wheel. He was 15 at the time, and by age 16, wagering had become a part of his everyday life. He would…

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland met with health experts and anti-gambling advocates on Friday to discuss the upcoming changes to Australia’s gambling advertising legislation. As reported by Guardian Australia, no proposals to limit gambling ads on field signs or player jerseys during live games were announced, and the lack of such measures is something several gambling companies criticised on Friday, according to the Australian Financial Review. Moreover, already planned restrictions will not apply to newspapers. Instead, the meeting confirmed the previously rumoured plans that, as opposed to a blanket ban on…

According to anonymous sources that have reached out to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the upcoming cabinet meeting on Monday will not cover Labour’s rumoured gambling reforms due to internal disagreements. Last week saw the emergence of rumours that as a result of alleged consultations with industry stakeholders, the Albanese Government is planning to limit TV ads to two per hour until 10 pm, prohibit gambling adverts an hour before and after live sports events, and ban the promotion of gambling during children’s programmes. Only online adverts will be made…

According to a statement issued by the Darts Regulation Authority (DRA), Leighton Bennet and Billy Warriner have been suspended over accusations surrounding match-fixing. The DRA launched an investigation into their alleged misconduct with the assistance of the Gambling Commission Sports Betting Intelligence after being alerted of a series of suspicious bets tied to four matches belonging to the Modus Super Series. All bets occurred between the 6th and 8th of September, 2023, and the games involved Leighton Bennett. The International Betting Integrity Association was quick to detect the betting activity…

In an interview with ABC Radio National’s Steve Cannane, Kai Cantwell, CEO of Responsible Wagering Australia, warned that blanket bans on gambling ads could endanger Australian gamblers by pushing them to illegal operators. The push to ban gambling ads completely was recently reignited when anonymous sources revealed the Albanese Government might not implement all 31 proposals from the Murphy Report, and could instead go with caps and a ban on gambling ads on social media. Responsible Wagering Australia (RWA) is a lobby group that represents five major gambling companies that…

Last week, the Albanese Government was presented with an open letter signed by over 60 high-profile Australians, in which they urged for gambling ads to be banned completely and for all 31 proposals in the late Peta Murphy’s “You win some, you lose more” report to be implemented. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald’s Paul Sakkal published today, Ms Murphy’s husband, Rod Glover, implored the government to follow through with her proposals. Peta Murphy served as the head of The Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs…