Amendments seeking to prohibit credit card usage for online gambling purposes in Australia have been passed by the lower house. The ban will affect most forms of remote casino gaming and sports betting, but online lotteries, as well as activities tied to non-profits, will not be subject to the same prohibition. The proposal was initially made by the banking sector in March, with concerns of netizens falling victim to debt and problem gambling being the main issues cited. A couple of years prior, the independent peak body Responsible Wagering Australia,…
Read MoreAuthor: Daniel Williams
Sheffield Licensing Committee Rejects Gambling Hall Application Amid Problem Gambling Concerns
Gaming company Royal Amusements was not given permission to establish a gaming hall in Sheffield. The casino was going to be located on the premises of a Fargate property that used to house a nail salon, which prompted the South Yorkshire Police to raise concerns, given the location’s reputation of being an area with high levels of crime. Although the police would eventually lift its objections, the project still faced strong pushback from the Changing Sheff residents’ association, along with complaints from a variety of church groups, the Sheffield City…
Read MoreUK MPs to Consider Harms Caused by Gambling, Smoking, Alcohol and Drugs as Part of Major Ill-Health Prevention Inquiry
This week, Members of Parliament revealed a decision to consider harms, including addictive and compulsive behaviours, in the next stage of their comprehensive inquiry into preventing the poor physical and mental condition of British residents. The effectiveness of regulation and messaging regarding the negative consequences caused by various factors that contribute to poor health, such as gambling, smoking, drugs, and alcohol, has been included in the agenda of the UK lawmakers. The Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, Steve Brine, shared that the British Members of Parliament were…
Read MoreBoyleSports’ Boss Says Proposed Advertising Ban Could Have Catastrophic Effect on the Irish Racing Industry
The Irish gambling company BoyleSports has commented on the proposed changes to the Gambling Regulation Bill’s advertising rules, saying that the implementation of further limits to the existing regulations could have a catastrophic effect on the country’s horseracing industry. The company’s boss has insisted that restrictions on stake limits and inducements will only force an increasing number of customers to start using the services of unlicensed and unregulated companies in the black market. Ireland’s Gambling Regulation bill, which has been in its report stage in the lower house, and principal…
Read MoreNHS Gambling Harms Services Much Needed in Wales, Swansea University Scholars Say
In a recent article published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, academics from Swansea University have called for some gambling harm services of the National Health Service (NHS) to be established in Wales. The scientists eagerly highlighted the current lack of treatment services, saying that it was unacceptable and urging the Welsh Government to ensure it addressed the issue as soon as possible. The call with the Gambling Research, Education and Treatment (GREAT) Network Wales was led by a team of academics from the School of Psychology at Swansea University who outlined…
Read MoreCrucial Racing Industry Centres Contribute to Parliamentary Petition Opposing Affordability Checks in the UK
Some of the most crucial training centres of the racing industry in Cotswolds, Lambourn, Newmarket, the Scottish Borders, and Yorkshire, are still making a valuable contribution as the industry-wide parliamentary petition that is seeking the authorities to put proposed affordability checks on hold gathered more than 70,000 signatures as of October 6th night. The 12 parliamentary constituencies with the highest scoring, which have so far accounted for approximately 7.5% of the overall number of signatures, are all associated with high levels of employment in the breeding and racing sectors. The…
Read MoreUKGC Takes the Regulation of Gambling Incentives into Consideration Amid Wave of Public Criticism
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is preparing to address the subject of bonuses and other enticements used by the gambling industry to attract customers as a part of a more complex review of the sector. As previously reported, the country’s Government has been aiming at completing an overhaul of the sector, so at the end of April, it published its long-awaited White Paper on gambling. The plans remain on track even though some recommendations have been facing growing public resistance. When speaking at the British Amusement Catering Trade Association (BACTA)…
Read MoreBetfair Founder Lambasts New UKGC Board Member Appointments, Saying They Were Unfit for Purpose
Andrew Black, one of the founders of the international gambling business Betfair, has shared some concerns that none of the seven new commissioners who were appointed to the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) earlier this week has a background in gambling. Mr Black, who is also the Chasemore Farm breeding operation’s owner, has previously scolded the way the commission’s board is formed, saying that the lack of experience in the gambling industry would mean the members’ “commonality of thinking” would not be aligned in any way with the sector. According to…
Read MoreACMA Imposes AU$13,320 Fine on Seven Networks Over Repeated Violations of Australia’s Gambling Advertising Ban
The Seven Network has faced an AU$13,320 penalty by the Australian media authority for repeated violations of the country’s gambling advertising ban during live sports events. The news about the fine emerged at a time when SBS had just announced its decision to start offering its viewers the chance to block gambling and fast food adverts for the first time. The Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) crackdown on the Seven Network follows revelations that the network broadcast 49 betting adverts during its coverage of the Olympic Games, and received…
Read MoreOnline Gross Gambling Yield Rises to £1.2 Billion in Q2 2023, UKGC Reports
The end of October 2023 has seen the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) publish more data on the country’s gambling industry. The UK gambling regulatory body revealed that the data, which covers both in-person and online gambling, was sourced from local high-street Licensed Betting Operators (LBOs) and reflects the period from March 2020 to September 2023. The watchdog further noted that a comparison should not be made with the industry statistics dataset because it may include bonuses and free bets and does not involve data from all operators that are available…
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