Author: Daniel Williams

The latest decision of the University of Sydney to accept hundreds of thousands of dollars from gambling and casino juggernauts was frowned upon by some public health experts. The money invested by the world’s biggest gambling names will be used for the university’s new research centre. Despite the criticism, researchers as well as the university, believe that joining forces with leaders in the gambling and casino industry will help this research centre to conduct more useful research campaigns that would reduce consumer harm. Earlier this week, the University of Sydney…

The Independent Panel of Gaming Reform in New South Wales (NSW) gathered for its inaugural meeting, acting as a driving force towards the planned comprehensive gambling reforms in the Australian state. Reportedly, the Panel tackled some issues of great importance that had to be immediately taken into consideration, which included the already announced trial of cashless gaming and the implementation of the planned measures aimed at bringing some changes to the industry. David Harris, the NSW Minister for Gaming and Racing, shared how happy he was to witness how devoted…

The UK gambling regulator closely inspected the misuse of statistics for pushing agendas and furthering arguments. Andrew Rhodes, the CEO of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), published an open letter to highlight the fact that the watchdog believes that misuse of statistics is simply unacceptable, although it respects all kinds of opinions related to gambling. Mr Rhodes explained that all parties who use statistics to prove a point should make sure they do so in the correct contest and be accurate. He also warned that the country’s gambling regulator might…

The University of Sydney announced the establishment of a multi-disciplinary centre that primarily targets to advance the research on local players’ gambling behaviour and minimisation of gambling-related harm. The unit, called Centre of Excellence in Gambling Research (CoEGR) was successfully created through the AU$600,000 funding, received by the global leader in gambling disorder and responsible gambling research and education, the International Centre for Responsible Gaming (ICRG). As revealed by the University of Sydney, the CoEGR is set to operate under the leadership of Professor Sally Gainsbury, an experienced professional specialising…

Some recent reports have revealed that the gambling industry is targeting ads at players of Fantasy Premier League (FPL), a football game available for children online. The BBC has found that gambling promotions and adverts on some of the largest websites, podcasts, and social media feeds are linked to the Fantasy Premier League. As a result of the findings, The FPL Wire, which is one of the major podcasts, has already removed gambling adverts from its content. It was previously featuring ads for Fairplay Exchange – an operator that allows…

The Government of New South Wales (NSW) has decided to introduce a new, “transitional” tax levy to the beleaguered Star Casino in Sydney, with the state’s Treasurer Daniel Mookhey claiming that, without the intervention, the gambling venue would go bankrupt. In return, the Star will commit to protecting over 3,000 jobs. The casino is known for hiring about 8,000 people depending on its seasonal shifts. Earlier today, the Minns Government announced an overhaul of the previous tax arrangements for the casino, saying that the move put in danger thousands of…

Long-time anti-gambling advocate Tim Costello has turned down commercial broadcasting groups’ claims that a full ban on gambling adverts could make their businesses no longer viable, arguing that using these adverts to groom Australian children was the actual existential crisis. Mr Costello, who is the main representative of the Alliance for Gambling Reform (AGR), has called for the Labor and the Coalition to initiate a full ban on gambling advertising, in a move to acknowledge how concerned they were about certain channels’ association with the prominent gambling sector, especially in…

The company supporting a lobby group seeking to overturn the planned overhaul of the UK gambling laws and claims to be acting on behalf of regular punters turned out to be owned by a consultant for the country’s gambling industry. As previously reported by Casino Guardian, British lawmakers proposed a series of changes in April 2023 in an effort to make the country’s gambling sector more fair, transparent and safe for consumers by imposing stricter regulations on gambling licensees, especially ones in the thriving online gambling industry. Despite that, the…

The Premier of New South Wales (NSW), Chris Minns, has noted reports that the state gambling regulatory body has often warned local clubs and pubs ahead of random compliance checks are extremely concerning. According to some documents presented to the Parliament, the industry’s trade body – ClubsNSW – sent emails to local club owners in February 2022 to warn them that the state’s gambling regulator was set to start gambling harm-minimisation compliance checks in Sydney to make sure that the gaming machines and signage in clubs and pubs were properly…

Late last week, the gambling regulator of Victoria announced a decision to suspend betting on all sports competitions involving underage individuals, as well as all wagering on the performance of individual athletes who are under 18 years of age in both junior and senior sports. On August 3rd, the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) sent letters to the bodies heading all major sports leagues and all companies offering sports betting services to inform them that the watchdog has determined that allowing wagering on sports involving minors posed potential…