Author: Olivia Cole

New restrictions on the number of gaming machines are now being discussed in the Gisborne District in northeastern New Zealand. Aiming at minimizing the negative impacts of problem gambling, the draft policy on gambling proposed by the District Council prohibits the relocation of gambling venues and limits the number of racing board venues to only one. Local authorities in the Gisborne District are currently reviewing the Gambling Venue policy as required by the Gambling Act 2003 and Racing Act 2003. A public hearing on the proposed changes is scheduled for…

A recent study has revealed that that eight in ten children aged as young as eight remember they had seen TV gambling adverts, despite the fact that gambling operators are currently forbidden to target underage individuals with their advertising materials. A large number of children also recalled that they had seen gambling brands while watching sports and football, in particular, saying that they can remember seeing the branding on some football clubs’ shirts. Apart from that, about 50% of the children who took part in the survey explained that they…

Five gambling operators have been caught violating strict rules which suspend them from targeting underage audiences with online betting adverts. Seven fake child online profiles simulating children’s online web browsing were created by the UK advertising regulator – the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) – to check on the type of advertising materials which reach underage individuals when they are online. As a result, the watchdog identified ads by 43 gambling operators which during 14-day monitoring period appeared on freely accessible online sites, including 20 YouTube channels. Such adverts also appeared…

The so-called “sinking lid” policy on poker machines numbers, whose objective is to reduce the spending on pokies and the gambling-related harm in communities across New Zealand, seem ineffective. Despite the introduction of the policy in 2013 in the rural District of Tararua, proceeds from gaming machines in 2018 have increased by nearly 10 per cent on an annual basis. Councillors in Tararua, which is located in south-east corner of New Zealand’s North Island, have expressed their doubt in the effectiveness of the sinking lid approach they took in 2013…

Today, the new maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) is to come into force. The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has written to local bookmakers to remind them of their responsibilities to make sure that their customers are well-protected. From today, the maximum betting stake available on the controversial gambling machines will be slashed from £100 to £2 per a single spin. The new rules regarding the FOBTs are being imposed by the UK Government as part of its efforts to reduce the risks that gamblers can lose large amounts…

Two applications for the addition of more gaming machines in the districts of Taupō and Tūrangi have been rejected. An application for the addition of five poker machines, also known as pokies, have been filed by Tokaanu-Tūrangi RSA. The company was willing to add the gambling terminals to the offering at the 11 and Grandeur Thermal Spa Resort and have shared its ambitions to open a new gaming venue with up to nine pokies available to visitors. Unfortunately, neither application fully met the Class 4 Gambling and TAB Venue policy,…

Online gambling operators from the UK and Ireland are to remain in the business, despite the uncertainty around Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union. The uncertainty surrounding Brexit lingers on jurisdictions such as Gibraltar and the Isle of Man. The border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is also expected to be much affected by the UK leaving the EU, also remain questionable, with neither one of the two countries being able to settle until the final decision on the withdrawal is reached. According to expectations of the industry, gambling…

The largest poker machine venue operator in Australia – the Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH Group) – which majority stakeholder is the supermarket and grocery store chain Woolworths is still being part of a local government offensive which is focused on opposing the anti-pokies campaign of Tim Costello’s Alliance for Gambling Reform (AGR). The supermarket giant’s pubs and pokies division is now embarking on what could be described as an unprecedented push to get the approval of councils in the state of Victoria at a time when the region…

Crown Casino Melbourne has faced a ban from providing their patrons with special plastic picks to bypass rules regarding poker machines, as the use of such picks could lead to an increase of gambling-related harm. The decision of the Victorian gambling regulator came after in 2017 some whistleblowers reported that thhandingCasino staff members were handing out plastic picks, which even had the Crown brand, used to the casino patrons which allowed them to jam poker machine buttons and to have continuous gameplay. Under the rules implemented by the Victorian gambling…

New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has made its first prosecution under the nation’s Gambling Act. A mananger of a local gambling venue has become the first person in the country who is charged for their failure to identify a problem gambler. So far, the DIA has not disclosed the gambling venue where the person worked but revealed that the manager of the gambling venue has been charged for failing to take reasonable measures in order to identify a problem gambler. The charge was announced by Chris Thornborough, who…