Author: Daniel Williams

At the beginning of the week, the Chief Executive Officer of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), Michael Dugher, made a formal promise that the trade body’s members will support the economic recovery plan of the Government with financial investment, new jobs and tax revenues. Mr Dugher also asked UK Ministers to take this engagement into account and not put it at risk in the ongoing gambling review by the implementation of changes which he described as “well-meaning but naive”, saying they could result in reducing the regulated gambling sector…

Managers of private equity and venture capital firms are getting more and more interested in expanding in the global gambling sector by making record investments into the sector. As Casino Guardian already reported, the US private equity firm Blackstone Inc. is going to finalise the biggest-ever deal in the gambling sector by taking over the Australian casino giant Crown Resorts for a total of AU$8.9 billion. However, Australia is not the only country where private equity and venture capital companies are trying to expand their presence. Private Equity Companies Willing…

Kiwis squandered over NZ$2.6 billion on the four most widespread types of gambling during the 2020-2021 financial year, the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs revealed. The overall gambling spend of the country’s residents grew by 17% compared to the previous financial year. Class 4 slot machines located in TABs, bars, and clubs accounted for NZ$987 million of the overall gambling spend, which corresponds to a 23% increase. This is the highest amount spent on slots in five years despite the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdowns it brought. As a…

Campaigners from The Christian Institute have noted that neither the gambling industry nor the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) takes seriously the large number of gambling-related suicides. According to Public Health England (PHE), more than 400 individuals take their own lives for reasons associated with gambling on an annual basis. However, only 8 of these deaths have been investigated by the country’s gambling regulatory body since 2018. At the time of an investigation into the tragic death of the young gambling addict Jack Ritchie, Senior Coroner David Urpeth linked the man’s…

A recent study by the UK gambling regulatory body revealed that the popularity of online gambling has risen among women. According to the results of the study, 42% of the British women have taken part in some form of gambling over the past 4 weeks at the time when the survey was held. As the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) revealed, the National Lottery was the most popular form of gambling among female customers in the UK. Bingo and scratch cards were also included in the mix. However, the trend of…

An Irish professor who specialises in the treatment of problem gambling has noted that the country’s gambling industry must implement swift changes following the Government’s proposal of stricter measures to address rising gambling addiction among local residents. As previously reported by Casino Guardian the Gambling Regulations Bill (GRB) would establish an independent gambling regulatory body that would control and oversee the entire licensing process, and would also impose sanctions on companies that violate rules, and would work on tackling problem gambling and gambling-related harm. Colin O’Gara, a clinical professor who…

UK Ministers are currently considering the implementation of stricter measures on social media “tipsters” that offer some controversial betting advice and generate profit from gamblers losing money. The proposals for better regulation of the questionable practice include various measures, such as suspending tipsters from posting screenshots of winning bets to try to lure people into gambling by making it look like an activity that could help them win money quickly and easily, and even more – that gamblers could always be on the winning side. According to reports, the proposed…

Cashback platforms have been facing accusations of encouraging gambling by offering various rewards to customers for betting online. According to reports, cashback sites such as Ohmydosh, Topcashback and Quidco all offer cashback for a range of purchases and services. An investigation of Money Mail found these online platforms have been advertising the services of over 60 gambling, betting and bingo sites and offering special rewards for customers who used the services of these websites. Reportedly, Tobcashback has revealed that it paid out £30,000 monthly to customers who signed up with…

Lately, Teachtaí Dálas (TDs) and Senators have heard that approximately 7,000 betting accounts are put on hold monthly in the UK and Ireland. The gambling giant Flutter Entertainment, which currently operates both in the UK and Ireland, has revealed that it suspends about 7,000 accounts on a monthly basis. Conor Grant of the Irish bookmaker informed the Oireachtas Justice Committee that the gambling operator intervenes with customers every month. As part of its policies, approximately 28,000 accounts are being reviewed monthly, while about 7,000 accounts of customers from the UK…

Tom Hall, Playtech’s former chief executive officer, blamed Aristocrat Gaming for planning and coordinating the campaign around the group of Asian investors, who have decided to build a blocking stake at the Isle of Man-based gambling software developer before the shareholder vote and joined their efforts to deem Aristocrat’s bid as unsuccessful. As reported by the Financial Times, Mr Hall, who served as CEO at Playtech in the period between 2003 and 2005, was involved in the media reports speculating that the aforementioned Asian investors had been purchasing stock of…