Author: Olivia Cole

One of the leading gambling charities in Ireland has urged the Government to eliminate the existing period of time it takes for gambling operators to check the age of a certain player. Currently, in Ireland, online gambling operators take up to 72 hours to check the age of a user trying to cash out their winnings to make sure they are at least 18 years old. In comparison, this time period has been recently eliminated in the UK. Problem Gamblers’ boss, Barry Grant, shared that there are practically no limitations…

Earlier today, SkyCity Entertainment Group revealed that its insurers have confirmed they would cover the damage which a fire caused to the company’s Auckland-based convention centre and adjacent hotel that is currently under construction. The New Zealand gaming and entertainment operator issued an exchange filing to reveal that its third party liability insurance policy would review the claims of the company. Fletcher Building that is engaged with the construction of the project is insured both under a third party liability insurance policy and its contract works insurance policy. On October…

The British multinational venture capital company Virgin Group Ltd. is expected to officially announce its interest to become the National Lottery operator for the third time in two decades and a half. Reportedly, the company, under the lead of its founder Sir Richard Branson, has been preparing to once again make an effort and replace Camelot Group as the sole operator of the state lottery. As revealed by The Times, Virgin Group’s team is willing to see the firm as the organiser of the UK National Lottery. After mid-January 2020,…

British bookmaker William Hill has unveiled its financial results for the four months since it reported its first-half results and confirmed that it was a higher demand for online gambling services and its rapid expansion on the US market that helped. In the light of stricter regulatory regime in its home market, where the British Government reduced the maximum stake permitted on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) from £100 to £2, William Hill is now focusing on its online gambling operations. As a result of the maximum stake reduction, the British…

Most recently, the New Zealand gambling operator SkyCity has described its plan to boost the number of pokie machines in its Hamilton casino as modest. Previously, the company has revealed that it is willing to increase the number of electronic gaming terminals to 400 and says that this is what customers want. The hearing of the Gambling Commission into SkyCity’s offer to increase the number of pokies available at its casino in Hamilton has already started. Graeme Reeves, the Chief Gambling Commissioner, has explained that the hearing is aimed at…

A company based in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, received reimbursement of almost £590,000 after company credit cards were used by an employee to fuel her gambling habit. At the hearing, which took place at the Crown Court in Derry on November 19th, a Public Prosecution Service barrister confirmed that the online gambling operator that previously received the unauthorised payments, 32Red, had repaid the money to the owners of S3 Alliance. The reimbursement covers almost the entire amount that had been stolen by the woman from her employer. The barrister has explained…

The British gambling company Merkur Cashino escaped severe criticism and further measures after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) held a probe into an ad of the company. One complaint was filed against Merkur Cashino after a promotion of the gambling firm was seen on the back of a child’s bus ticket on May 28th. 2019. The promotion said that customers will get £5 free plays on a machine of their choice with the ticket in question. The complainant challenged whether the advert was aimed at individuals under the age of…

Today, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is set to use its new powers to order local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to suspend the first two foreign websites that have been found to be offering illegal gambling services. Today, Australian telecoms are expected to receive orders from the ACMA to block Fair Go Casino and Emu Casino – two online gambling sites that are operated under Curacao licences. They are found to be part of the offshore online gambling operators that have been providing Australian punters with illegal gambling…

British gambling companies are deploying the new piece of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on their electronic gaming machines as part of the newly proposed measure aimed at detecting problem gambling behaviour and helping customers who may be having troubles with compulsive gambling. The new software, called the Anonymous Player Awareness System (APAS) tracks the player’s behaviour and tries to find any evidence of them chasing losses or demonstrating any other sign of gambling addiction, including too much time spent on the machine. The algorithm has been only recently introduced by the…

The British banking brand Halifax has released a new feature to provide better protection to customers against gambling-related harm. The new feature available at the mobile application of the bank is a “gambling card freeze” and was developed as part of the bank’s efforts to provide support to customers who want to gamble responsibly and manage their finances in the best way possible. Customers of Halifax who use the bank’s mobile application would be able to use the feature to suspend their transactions to gambling companies. The gambling transactions ban…