Author: Olivia Cole

The largest problem gambling-oriented charity organisation in the UK – GambleAware – revealed a new two-year partnership with Citizens Advice. The collaboration, which is estimated at £1.5-million, is aimed at helping debt advisers provide better protection against gambling-related harm by making sure they better understand and reduce the possible negative impact which gambling could have on local resident’s physical and mental health and quality of life. The project is set to be delivered across nine regions on the territory of England and Wales and will make sure that frontline debt…

The advertising regulator of the UK – the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) – has today published two rulings against gambling operators as part of its efforts to prevent gambling companies from targeting under-aged individuals. For some time now, some local authorities, anti-gambling operators and charity organisations have been raising a red flag about the possible negative influence that gambling advertising could have on children and more vulnerable people. This is exactly why competent authorities have joined efforts to prevent minors from being targeted by gambling operators and reduce the accessibility…

After the UK Government unveiled its resolution on controversial fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) a few months ago, the focus of gambling regulatory bodies has logically shifted to another issue. Now, it is TV gambling advertising and gambling sponsorship deals in the English Premier League which has caused a lot of controversy, with more discussions on the issue emerging by the day. As Casino Guardian has previously reported, the concentration of gambling advertising around live sports events aired on TV, and particularly football matches, has steadily increased over the last few…

The Isle of Man-based gambling operator GVC Holdings has revealed that its profit rose over the first half of 2018, with the gains brought by the World Cup helping its performance. The company further noted that more cost savings from the £4-billion Ladbrokes acquisition have been identified. According to the gambling operator’s report, its revenues for the first six months of the current fiscal year marked an 8% increase in comparison to the same period a year ago, reaching £1.7 billion. In addition, GVC Holdings’ underlying operating profits rose by…

Lotterywest, the body that regulates the lottery in Western Australia, revealed its decision to review its brand and marketing strategy as it considers its market share at risk due to stiff competition from other gaming services providers. The statutory authority of the Government of Western Australia has issued a warning that smaller population growth and the slow-moving local economy could affect its future revenue growth. In its annual report to State Parliament, Lotterywest said that the more relaxed regime for online companies to get operating licenses had resulted in a…

Today, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) published rulings on complaints against two gambling operators. The self-regulatory organisation of the UK advertising industry scolded Gibraltar-based Gala Interactive but did not take any actions against Betfair. The two gambling companies faced accusations of being irresponsible to their customers because of TV ads which could have created wrong impressions for potential players. Gala Interactive Must Remove Socially Irresponsible Ad The complainant challenged a TV ad for a gambling website owned by Gala Interactive, seen on May 5th 2018. According to them, the commercial…

The online gambling operator 888 has become the next to launch a sportsbook service in New Jersey, at a time when UK gambling companies have been aimed at expanding their presence in the country to take advantage of the newly-opened sports betting market. The 888sport service has been released in the state in collaboration with Kambi, which has been serving as the company’s sportsbook provider in regulated markets across the world. The company has rolled out its 888sport brand in the state of New Jersey and has reiterated its willingness…

For some time now, high-profile sports have been blamed for making sports betting operators too comfortable with their position, making them too easy to get into customers homes and lure them to gamble. The recent years have seen a number of betting-related corruption scandals in tennis and cricket, but football has been undoubtedly the one which has been most associated with gambling. In particular, the massive presence of bookmakers as major sponsors of English Premier League (EPL) squads has been blamed for spreading addictions among the game’s fans. Last week,…

Gambling technology company Playtech today announced that it has offloaded its entire 10% stake in online CFD trading platform provider Plus500, realising approximate gross proceeds of £176 million. The gambling software developer, founded in 1999 by Israeli businessman Teddy Sagi, said that it would use the proceeds from the sale for “general corporate purposes and debt reduction”. The announcement arrives just a day after it became known that five of the founding fathers of Plus500 have halved their stake in the company they found in Israel more than a decade…

SkyCity Casino Auckland has become the first gambling venue in the city to open its doors for gambling help services, providing the latter with the opportunity to directly reach and support gambling addicts. According to Hāpai Te Hauora, the local leader in public health, policy, advocacy, infrastructure, research and evaluation services, the move is unprecedented, as it allows social services aimed at gambling addicts to immediately reach players who are trying to find some help and support in their battle against gambling-related harm. “We see ourselves as having a real…