Author: Daniel Williams

HSBC Bank revealed that it has decided to extend its cooling-off period for avid gamblers. The announcement of the British banking and financial services organisation that it has boosted its cooling-off period from 24 hours to 72 hours comes at a time when gambling revenue and gamblers’ active accounts are rising. The cooling-off period was implemented by British banks and financial service organisations to prevent gamblers, who have been playing excessively, from spending too much money on gambling products. As mentioned above, HSBC Bank has decided to extend this period…

The major regulator of the UK gambling sector has published more information regarding the impact of the renewed stricter coronavirus lockdown measures on local consumers’ gambling behaviour. The latest data published by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) covers the period from March to November 2020 and reflects both online gambling and consumer research. The gambling watchdog revealed this time it did not require data from licensed betting operators (LBOs) for November 2020, as a result of the latest lockdown measures imposed at the time on the industry, along with the…

The New South Wales (NSW) Crime Commission has shared its concern that the country’s economy could turn into a desired destination for money laundering associated with international criminals who may have been attracted by the successful way the Australian Government has been managing the coronavirus crisis. The state’s Crime Commission explained that its fears have risen because, according to new figures, the profits generated by the poker machines operating in NSW in 2020’s final months increased in comparison to the ones from the year before. The growth in the electronic…

The Football Association (FA) has failed to extend the 10-week ban on Kieran Trippier, which could have made the player’s availability for the European Championships. The FA did not manage to revise the dates of his punishment for the defender’s violations of the existing betting regulations. As Casino Guardian reported, the football governing body suspended the 30-year-old player for 10 weeks following some findings that Mr Trippier had encouraged his friends to wager on his transfer from Tottenham F.C. to Atlético Madrid in the summer of 2019. On December 23rd,…

UK racing suffered another major blow yesterday after the country’s Government rejected the industry’s request to roll out a formal review of the applicable gambling levy in 2021. In a letter sent to the Chair of the British Horseracing Association (BHA), Annamarie Phelps, the country’s Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston has made it clear that the current review of the UK Gambling Act of 2005 will not include the increase of the levy rate above the 10% one that local bookmakers are currently obliged to pay. Mr Huddleston shared that the…

The European lottery operator Sazka Group has hired the former Chief Executive Officer of Sainsbury – Justin King – as an advisor on its bid to acquire the operating licence for the UK National Lottery. Mr King, who is a veteran in the retail sector, currently occupies the vice-chairman position at Terra Firma, a private equity firm. Prior to the ten years spent at the leader’s position at Sainsbury, he also occupied top executive jobs at Marks & Spencer and Asda. He is the first person appointed to a new…

Amendments to the Gaming and Lotteries Act have already been passed by the Irish Government as part of the country’s interim measure preceding a more serious overhaul of gambling legislation that is expected to commence later in 2021. The Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Act 2019 was officially brought into force on December 1st, 2020. As revealed by Casino Guardian, the piece of legislation introduces a more consistent licensing application process and includes better protection for underage individuals, as it sets the legal age of 18 as the minimum age for…

The way the online betting monopoly in New Zealand handles a recent money incident with a local bettor seems to be undermining the company’s own arguments that it offers the only safe option for local punters. The situation occurred after a local punter revealed that he had been having difficulties to get on terms with New Zealand TAB to reimburse him for an amount that the sports betting operator paid out in counterfeit notes. As shared by Bruce Gasson, a high-roller TAB customer, he won a total of NZ$680 at…

A template letter to Members of Parliament that has been distributed within the sports sector highlights the chance of a £60-million hit that could be inflicted to the horse racing industry in the UK. Reportedly, the letter contains some complaints associated with the potential impact that affordability checks on local gamblers and the calls on British lawmakers to impose further restrictions on the sector. As The Guardian has reported, the author of the letter remains unknown, but it was obviously drafted after the most powerful sports betting operators agreed that…

A Batley and Spen MP has called the UK Government to reduce the disproportionate problem gambling rates in the region, describing the issue as a “crisis waiting to happen” among underage individuals. Tracy Brabin said the country’s Government had to act as soon as possible to prevent a whole generation of young people from turning to problem gamblers. Ms Brabin explained that the specialist NHS Northern Gambling Clinic situated in Leeds was doing a great job but more efforts are necessary, especially in terms of protecting children from gambling-related harm.…