Author: Olivia Cole

At the time when it published its financial results this morning, the gaming and entertainment group Crown Resorts revealed that it has started legal proceedings against an agency of the New South Wales Government. The case has been filed in the NSW Supreme Court against the Barangaroo Delivery Authority (BDA) over the local Government’s plans which will obstruct views from its six-star casino at Barangaroo, Sydney. Currently, it is the BDA which is responsible for the building of Central Barangaroo, a large gambling, food and entertainment hub situated on 5.2…

Football clubs in the UK have been warned that gambling is excessively “normalised” for children thanks to the prevalence of bookmakers as shirt sponsors at a time when gambling addiction rates are constantly increasing. The Chief Executive Officer of the British charity organisation GambleAware, Marc Etches, explained that the amount and nature of advertising related to gambling services and such sponsorship deals make gambling look normal to people, and especially to under-aged individuals. According to Mr. Etches, the relationship between gambling services and football has already reached a point when…

UK gambling operator William Hill could face potential store closures in Burton, Uttoxeter and Swadlincote following the Government’s decision to impose stricter regulation on controversial fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs). The decision of the country’s authorities to roll out a clampdown on the machines could be a threat for the gambling company’s betting outlets in the above-mentioned towns amid potential plans to shutter up to 900 across the country – a step that could lead to possible loss of 4,500 jobs. The British gambling and sports betting operator recently reported a…

The allegations that the Australian supermarket and grocery store chain Woolworths has collected personal information on high-stake pokies players in 22 of its pubs in three states have been confirmed by an internal investigation. Furthermore, the investigation showed that the collected personal data was shared among the pubs of the brand in order to help staff find the most appropriate incentives to encourage VIP players to increase their losses. In addition, Woolworths’ staff members in 22 pubs were found to have given free drinks to high-roller customers to encourage them…

Today, one of the largest British Bookmakers, William Hill, published its results for the first half of 2018, revealing that it had a “good” performance over a period of “substantial change”. The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Philip Bowcock, said that William Hill had performed well over the six months which ended on June 26th, especially considering the major regulatory changes faced by the company both in its domestic market and the US. The bookmaker’s boss revealed that the Online arm of the company continued to deliver a double-digit…

UK gambling regulator would make the local gambling industry more secure for customers, by ensuring better protection from misleading advertising. Under the new regulatory crackdown, British gamblers would also be able to make money withdrawals more easily. Moreover, an 8-week deadline for gambling operators to resolve customer complaints would be rolled out. The major regulatory body engaged in monitoring and control of the UK gambling industry, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), is to roll out a package of new rules set to come in force on October 31st. The new…

The UK casino industry made a large contribution to the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) after the privately funded non-profit free-market think tank published a gambling policy report that called for some of the restrictions imposed on the local casino sector to be lifted. A donation amounting to £8,000 to the IEA was officially confirmed by the National Casino Industry Forum (NCIF). The Guardian has revealed that some of the Forum’s senior officials had a meeting with the report’s author before it was written, and then, at the time when…

UK bookmakers could be set for a £1-billion value-added tax (VAT) refund following a court ruling, according to which they were wrongly imposed a VAT on the revenue generated from fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs). The ruling of the First-tier Tribunal Tax Chamber brought the case started by the high-street bookmaker Betfred against HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to an end, marking a grand victory for the local gambling sector at a time when the British Government has already announced its decision to reduce the maximum bet allowed on the controversial…

The UK advertising watchdog, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) investigated and upheld two issues included in a complaint against Malta-based online casino operator AG Communications Limited. The complainant reported that a web page relating to the online slot game Starburst was featured on the company’s website www.Karamba.com on May 3rd, 2018. According to the complainant, a title “Tips and tricks on how to Win at Starburst” appeared, followed by text offering some tips and tricks for playing the slot game to the player’s advantage. The filed complaint challenged whether the…

A new YouGov Custom Research highlights the importance of the 2018 World Cup championship to gambling operators, and more specifically when it comes to attracting new customers. According to information revealed in the results of the survey, over three times as many people placed bets with online gambling companies than in land-based bookmakers’ shops. The research commissioned by the international online market research and data analytics firm YouGov has revealed how the moods of the fans of the largest football tournament on a global scale have pushed them to become…