Author: Olivia Cole

One of the largest and most popular online betting provider, Sportsbet, has faced a conviction and suffered a monetary fine for illegally offering enticements to its customers to lure their friends into opening gambling accounts with the brand. Sportsbet which operates as the Australian unit of the international gambling giant Paddy Power Betfair, has joined a number of other sports betting businesses that have faced sanctions for violating the ban which the New South Wales (NSW) Government had imposed on advertisements which are set to push people to gamble by…

After a number of British banks rolled out a stricter policy on gambling transactions and provided their customers with the chance to switch off certain merchant categories when processing payments, the UK bank challenger Cashplus decided to follow suit. The bank product brand revealed a credit card gambling ban, which would allow customers to suspend all transactions with casinos, sports betting operators and other gambling providers. This would be the first credit card gambling block in the local industry, as claimed by Cashplus itself. The truth is that there had…

The gambling giant Paddy Power Betfair has proposed to rename the operator to Flutter Entertainment. The gambling group commented on the proposal, saying that the new name would better reflect the massive diversity of all the brands and operations involved. The name change, which is subject to shareholder approval, would not affect consumer brands, as revealed by the company. Peter Jackson, the Chief Executive Officer of the operator, explained that the plans to rename the group come at a time when the operator enhances its brand portfolio. As Mr Jackson…

The Australian supermarket, retails and consumer services chain Coles has disposed of its poker machines in a move that could be decisive not only for its operations. The step, which Coles took towards the elimination of its hotel and pokies business, has made anti-pokie campaigners once again urge Woolworths to do the same. In a statement issued today, Coles revealed that it had signed a complicated deal under which it would no longer control its 87 hotels in Queensland. The deal is estimated to a total of AU$200 million. Currently,…

James Packer’s casino giant Crown Resorts may face serious trials and tribulations, experts say. Analysts have warned that a sharp decline in the Chinese high-rollers’ spending in Australia could deprive the brand’s new VIP casino complex which is currently being built in Sydney of its attractiveness. As Casino Guardian has recently reported, company’s officials have revealed a decline in high-stakes Asian gamblers’ spending with the largest casino operator in the country. The revelations have come at a time when the slowest growth in almost thirty years has been registered in…

Today, the British bookmaker William Hill confirmed that it suffered a massive loss of £721.9 million in the previous fiscal year ended on January 1st, 2019. The massive is even more staggering in comparison to the £146.5-million profit before tax it posted in the preceding financial year. The gambling operator reported a 2% revenue increase on yearly basis, reaching £1.62 billion. The full-year adjusted operating profit generated by the company’s existing operations fell 3% to £266.8 million. The stiff results come at a time when William Hill was hit by…

Today, New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) released a report revealing that the amount spent by local citizens on the four major gambling areas rose by NZ$49 million in comparison to the previous fiscal year, reaching NZ$2.38 billion. The report confirmed anti-gambling campaigners’ concerns that more money is being spent on gambling, with sports betting and poker machines being the main drivers of the spending increase. Players’ spending on sports betting increased by 3.6%, while spending on poker machines, also known as pokies, marked a 2.9% growth. The other…

Paul Fletcher, Federal Minister for Social Services in Australia, officially revealed that the Government is imposing stricter measures on the gambling sector as part of its efforts to tackle problem gambling. Under the expanded crackdown on the sector, operators will now have only 14 days instead of 3 months on their disposal to verify their users’ identities. Minister Fletcher explained that there are currently more than 240,000 people who are considered at risk of getting hooked on gambling or who are already suffering from significant harm due to compulsive online…

Gambling operators are making plans to set up a special trading body which would act as a lobby group at a time when UK lawmakers are considering prospects of stricter regulation of the local gambling sector. For some time, there have been rumours of a possible merger between Remote Gambling Association and the Association of British Bookmakers following harsh criticism at the time when the crackdown over controversial fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) has been considered. Now, an industry source close to the matter confirmed the step, saying that the issues…

Gambling applications available for smartphones are even more dangerous than controversial fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) when it comes to effect on people suffering from addiction, a new study revealed. The report of the 12-week study, which was published in European Addiction Research, an academic journal, claims that by using smartphone gambling apps players could lose money more easily. It says that the fact that users normally check their phones on a regular basis throughout the day, they get more predisposed to placing bets more often, even after they have suffered…