Author: Daniel Williams

The Australian online gambling watchdog has approached Curaçao Government officials in regard to new legislative changes aimed at tackling the Dutch Caribbean nation’s massive online casino industry. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has also informed Curaçao that over 90 online casinos registered in the country have been unlawfully targeting Australian residents with their services, although the regulator had previously informed them that the online gambling websites were violating Australia’s gambling laws. For the time being, Australia is among the few countries on a global scale, along with most…

New research has unveiled that financially struggling Australians are now turning to gambling looking for a quick fix for their disadvantages, while their expenses, unfortunately, spiral out of control. A Finder survey held among 1,110 respondents revealed that about 18% of Australian residents (or one in five Aussies) have boosted their spending on gambling over the past year. That basically means that 3.6 million local people have increased their spending on various forms of gambling available in the country. According to the research, 3% of Australian people are trying to…

The Government of New South Wales (NSW) has confirmed that a proposed measure aimed at tackling gambling outward signage and advertisements is set to be fully complied with. State lawmakers have revealed that almost 50% of all gambling establishments have already decided to act preventively and dispose of their outward signage in line with the proposed ban. The local Government has voted on the measure that is aimed at making gambling businesses remove signage that calls for passers-by to visit the companies’ VIP lounge, VIP room, Players’ Lounge, Golden Room,…

Lately, there has been an increasing number of calls for the Federal Government of Australia to suspend gambling advertising and initiate a major overhaul of the pokie industry, with criticism for gambling and the practice’s long-term consequences on local people’s lives also mounting. The negative impact that gambling has not only on people’s financial state, but on their mental and physical health as well, has been causing destruction for years, highlighting the seriousness of gambling addiction in Australia. The fact that local gambling operators target women, has, however, long remained…

Australia’s biggest gaming and entertainment group Crown Resorts is shifting its focus towards social responsibility and problem gambling prevention with the introduction of its new Crown PlaySafe program. The harm reduction package is valued at AU$13 million (£6.7 million) and will be introduced at all Australian properties operated by the beleaguered gambling company. The program focuses on several main areas, including developing products with problem gambling reduction in mind, creating a safer environment for players, allocating more funds for data monitoring and research, and adopting a more culturally relevant approach…

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has added five other illegal offshore gambling sites to its list of blocked operators. The regulator demanded that Australian Internet Service Providers (ISPs) should block the websites of the brand Reef Reels, Royal Reels, Ricky Casino, Slots Gallery, and Slotastic. All five of them were found guilty of violating the 2001 Interactive Gambling Act. The ACMA issued its first block request in November 2019 and since then, 803 affiliated and illegal websites have been blocked. In addition, more than 200 illegal services have…

Vision, filmed by a drone operator, depicting multiple greyhounds, including puppies, facing violence on a property situated in the south-east part of Adelaide, has been aired by the ABC News. According to notes accompanying the video footage, the vision was filmed over a 17-day period in June and early July 2023, with the claim being supported by the files’ metadata. As reported by the ABC News, one of the videos that is claimed to be filmed on June 17th shows a man who seems to be encouraging a black dog…

Les Boag, the chair of the Canberra Racing Club (CRC), has urged the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government to follow suit of its counterparts in South Australia and boost the revenue returned to the local industry. As of the beginning of the month, the ACT Government officially implemented a change aimed at increasing the local Point-of-Consumption Tax (PoCT) from 20% to 25%. According to preliminary expectations shared by the local authorities, the increase is expected to bring approximately AU$32 million to Government coffers every year. Only a month ago, in…

UK lawmakers have made a promise to crack down on unlawful advertising by imposing stricter rules for social media and online platforms such as Google Ads, forcing them to take stricter action to prevent underage individuals from seeking a range of adverts for products such as gambling or alcohol. Earlier today, the UK Government announced that it plans to introduce rules aimed at making the online advertising industry in the country more suitable for the digital age, including preventing various scams involving social media influencers and celebrities, who receive gifts…

The major gambling regulator in the UK has asserted that the local customers’ capability to withdraw funds from their accounts has been raised as a “number one” issue. Lucy Denton, UK Gambling Commission’s (UKGC) director of communications, noted that while gambling operators should not hold back players from the chance to cash out some funds from their gambling accounts, some restrictions in terms of customers’ deposits may apply. Currently, the UKGC is having some negotiations with industry stakeholders regarding the recommendations issued by the UK Government as part of its…