Author: Daniel Williams

The Chief executive officer of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is stepping down, leaving the major gambling regulatory body of the UK headless amid the ongoing Government review of the country’s gambling legislation. Neil McArthur announced that his resignation will take immediate effect and the search for an interim CEO is expected to start soon. Mr McArthur is leaving the organisation after spending almost 15 years with it, as he became part of the UKGC in 2006 and occupied the role of General Counsel before taking over the Chief Executive…

An important law firm that is pursuing to assist Victoria’s Royal Commission into its Crown Resorts’ inquiry seems to have advised the gambling company on its new Barangaroo casino project. The law firm has also worked for the second-biggest shareholder of the Australian casino operator. These findings have prompted both a prominent industry expert and the anti-gambling opposition in the state of Victoria to raise concerns about the potential conflict of interest of the law firm. As mentioned above, Corrs Chambers Westgarth is one of the law firms that have…

The effectiveness of the gambling regulator of Western Australia and its relationship with the Crown Resorts’ casino in Perth is set to be placed within the focus of the state’s Royal Commission and its probe into the gambling operator. Currently, the system of Western Australia’s Gaming and Wagering Commission is being scrutinised after Commissioner Patricia Bergin revealed the results of the investigation in Crown Resorts’ operations in the state of New South Wales in February. The results, however, were found concerning by other Australian states, too, and earlier in March,…

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gambling-Related Harm (APPG) has approached UK television channels, including Channel 5 and ITV, urging them to put an end to gambling operators’ sponsorship of daytime TV programmes. In the letters sent to the local television channels, the APPG shared that its members were deeply concerned about these sponsorships and pointed out a few examples, including the soap opera “Neighbours” on Channel 5 that is currently being sponsored by Gala Bingo, a brand of the British gambling giant Entain. The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gambling-Related Harm…

The Queensland Member of Parliament Andrew Wallace revealed that he has made sure that the largest banks in Australia would back the plans for implementation of credit card ban on online gambling services. For the time being, it is impossible for Australian gamblers to use their credit cards for making gambling transactions in casinos and gambling lounges but there are no such rules for online gambling services. In February 2021, Andrew Wallace MP started a pursuit for some changes in the sector, claiming that the high interest rates and a…

New South Wales (NSW) gambling reform campaigners have accused the gambling sector of making a complaint of poverty over a recent proposal to cut money laundering and problem gambling in the state. According to gambling reform advocates, have severely criticised the ClubNSW’s modelling that a suggested mandatory gaming card in the state would cost about AU$1.8 billion, as well as thousands of jobs. The Commissioner’s report into Crown Resorts that was prepared by former Supreme Court judge Patricia Bergin recommended the implementation of a cashless gambling card. Ms Bergin suggested…

The move of Ōtorohanga to bring some changes to its existing gambling policy has faced the opposition of the Problem Gambling Foundation and the District Health Board of Waikato. In October 2020, the Ōtorohanga District Council voted to change its former “sinking lid” policy, during the scheduled review of the policy that takes place every three years. Local council members made a decision to shift to a policy that would make it possible for them to control the increase of so-called poker machines in venues and consider any new proposals…

A poll commissioned by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) revealed most Brits oppose the government telling them how much money they can spend on betting. Conducted by the British research and analytics firm YouGov, the survey established that only 27% of Great Britain’s residents favour the imposition of betting limits, while approximately 51% were against it. These results may pressurise the UK authorities into dropping the proposed restrictions, which may cost the local racing industry £100 million in annual losses. Over 13,000 public submissions on the proposed affordability checks…

New reports published by GambleAware today highlight the necessity of normalising responsible gaming across all stages of customer communication. According to the organisation, this is of vital importance for the ongoing success in the battle against problem gambling. Commissioned by GambleAware itself, the reports were delivered by the multidisciplinary research agency Revealing Reality and the Behavioral Insights Team (BIT). The reports contain input from five major UK-based gambling operators – Betfred, Buzz Bingo, 888, Genting Casino, and Gamesys. The Revealing Reality agency worked closely with the five operators between the…

The coronavirus pandemic has had a pronounced negative effect on the retail betting industry in the United Kingdom, causing a shift toward the online segment. The London-based bookmaker William Hill is one of the companies that have suffered a severe blow revenue-wise since the pandemic started. The company reported its annual revenue from the retail sector has plummeted by 51%, dropping to £1.1 billion. The operator suffered over £29 million in adjusted losses from its retail arm alone. The company currently operates more than 1,400 retail bookmaking shops in the…