Author: Olivia Cole

Australia’s leading wagering entertainment group Tabcorp announced it plans to introduce a cutting-edge AI video surveillance technology across 400 of its branches in an attempt to restrict the access of minors to gambling. The sophisticated surveillance software was tested for eight weeks in three of the company’s Melbourne-based branches. Armed with this technology, Tabcorp will be able to identify and prevent individuals under the legal gambling age of 18 from accessing and punting at its sports betting shops. The artificial intelligence software will alert the staff at Tabcorp’s agencies when…

Sports are changing, and so is sports betting services. The gambling industry has never offered more convenient and easily accessible offering that punters can reach not only in brick-and-mortar betting shops but online, too. Lately, UK gambling legislation is also changing so that it addresses the needs of local punters. However, the recent changes to UK gambling laws also mean tighter regulation and control on the sector, which may make it harder for some customers to participate in sports betting in future. Most changes regarding sports betting are associated with…

With the gambling regulators in the UK fearing the rising number of problem gamblers, there have been calls for stricter measures to be taken by the Government and the major watchdogs that have to take care of the protection of local people from gambling-related harm. This year, the British gambling sector has faced some changes related to online gambling, and more specifically, to the use of credit cards in placing wagers over the Internet. It was in February 2019 when the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) revealed its decision to launch…

An investigation conducted by the Scottish media the Sunday Mail revealed the self-exclusion system of four major Glasgow landbased sportsbooks is not as efficient as it should be. An undercover reporter working for the Scottish newspaper pretended to be a problem gambler. As such, he self-excluded himself from wagering with four big bookmakers in the country’s most populous city, Paddy Power, Ladbrokes, Coral, and William Hill. Self-exclusion is a voluntary step available to all sports bettors who fear their wagering has slipped out of control. The self-exclusion system was introduced…

Two Australian charities have benefited from the Lott, with the received donations being estimated at about AU$50,000. The Lott decided to make the donations to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Foundation (WCHF) and the Childhood Cancer Association (CCA) right before Christmas. This is not the first donation to Australian charities that is made by the Lott. For years, the organisation has been contributing millions of dollars to charities, along with individual donations to individuals or families in need. Most of the bigger contributions made by the Lott have been aimed…

The gambling software developer Playtech warned that its shareholders may take further action after an executive payment has faced criticism. This happened after some concerns regarding the firm’s corporate governance were raised by an activist investor. According to media reports, Springowl hedge fund (based in New York) has privately called for the gambling software supplier to cut its commercial ties with Teddy Sagi, the company’s founder. Reportedly, the hedge fund has also urged the Isle of Man-based company to come up with an official plan for its Chief Executive’s succession.…

The co-founder and boss of the online gambling operator bet365, Denise Coates, has once again received a massive payment. According to the gambling company’s most recent financial accounts, the salary of Ms Coates, who has been the firm’s “highest-paid director” has been boosted to £277 million, dividends excluded. She also got a 50% share of the firms’ overall payout of £92.5 million, which boosts its total payday to £323.25 million in 2019. The payment that the Chief Executive Officer of bet365 received was about £58 million higher than the one…

A popular casino in Dublin has stopped operation after offering its services for 16 years. The implementation of new gambling legislation has been considered the major reason for the closure. On Monday, the Fitzwilliam Card Club informed its staff members for its decision to cease trading with immediate effect. The announcement resulted in the loss of almost 80 casino jobs. As mentioned above, the decision was made by the private members club following some legal advice it received in regard to the Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019. The piece…

Australian supermarket giant Woolworths is set to start the execution of its plans to separate its Endeavour unit that includes its pubs and poker machine operations, as well as the bottle shop retailer Dan Murphy. Today, the shareholders of Woolworths are set to vote on the first stage of the massive restructuring plan of the company under which a new listed entity is to be formed. The spin-off operator will be called Endeavour Group. The move is set to be executed as part of the complex three-stage plan for Endeavour’s…

A London hacker stood before the Southwark Crown Court yesterday for accusations in illegally breaking into the accounts of the National Lottery. The 29-year-old Anwar Batson admitted to four charges of cyber crimes and is now facing jail time for his illicit actions. The man was implementing Sentry MBA, which is one of the most commonly used software suites by cybercriminals. According to research conducted by the American telecommunications giant Verizon, Sentry MBA is frequently implemented for the purposes of the so-called credential stuffing attacks. Hackers rely on this software…