Author: Olivia Cole

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has formally warned Best Bookies’ Price Pty Ltd of operating an online betting service without the necessary licence. The online sportsbook service provided by Best Bookies allowed Australian customers to compare betting odds across licensed gambling and betting operators and place wagers with those operators on their behalf. However, the country’s communications and media regulator found that these services have met the definition of a “gambling service” in accordance with the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA). It is important to note that Best…

The gambling regulatory body of New South Wales (NSW) has revealed that almost 99% of the inspected clubs and pubs complied with the external gambling advertising ban in the state. At a time when anti-gambling campaigners’ concerns about gambling addiction and gambling-related harm have risen immensely, the Government of NSW initiated the implementation of some changes in the gambling sector. In May 2023, local lawmakers officially announced their plans to suspend external signs on clubs and pubs in the state promoting gambling services. Then, gambling operators that offer their services…

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) faced harsh criticism over its refusal to release the results of its call for evidence on proposed affordability checks that came to an end in February 2021. Philip Davies MP, a Conservative Party member, lambasted the regulatory body after the gambling industry watchdog turned down the Regulus Partners’ freedom of information request for disclosure of the results under the motive there was “no outstanding public interest” in releasing the data for the time being. The wave of criticism comes at a time when the UKGC…

A City Council in Victoria has alleged that clubs that operate so-called pokies across the state have misrepresented the amount of gambling losses they bring back to the community as part of their effort to reduce their tax bills. The Government of the state of Victoria has been slammed by Hume City Council for not taking care of what has been described as a shockingly large loophole. That loophole has allegedly been made even bigger by local clubs, although some concerns have already been raised so far in 2023. Joseph…

A new analysis of gambling data found that Australian gamblers’ losses to poker machines in clubs and pubs rose to over AU$14.5 billion in the last financial year alone, with the figure being significantly larger than the one posted in the last full financial year that was not interrupted by the Covid-19-realated restrictions, 2018/2019. According to some new figures provided by the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University on behalf of the Alliance for Gambling Reform (AGR), users of electronic gaming machines situated in clubs and…

The American credit rating agency S&P Global Ratings believes that the recovery in the number of affluent Chinese gamblers in Australia will probably take another 18 months, although direct flights between Australia and China have been resumed. According to three credit analysts from S&P, gambling markets in the Asia-Pacific region were welcoming fewer Chinese players at casino gaming tables mostly because the country’s economy has slowed down and tourists tend to travel for shorter periods. Still, Australian gambling companies are in a better position than their rivals in other markets…

Australian operator The Lottery Corporation has asked the competent authorities to grant it an exemption from the upcoming gambling overhaul. The company has argued that lotteries are characterised by a low-harm profile in contrast with other forms of gambling and has insisted on having its lottery tickets and scratch cards exempt from the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill. As previously reported by Casino Guardian, the planned regulatory changes in the country’s gambling sector aim at providing better protection for local customers who will be no longer allowed to use credit cards…

The Government of Victoria is set to introduce mandatory closure periods for poker machine areas at brick-and-mortar venues across the state. The only exception will be made for Crown Resorts’ casino. Victoria’s Premier Jacinta Allan shared that her Cabinet remained committed to significant reform to prevent and reduce problem gambling harm after seeing too much predatory behaviour that, in some cases, had immensely boosted gambling harm in communities across the state. The enforcement move comes as part of a piece of legislation that was officially introduced to Parliament by the…

While it advises a vote against the remuneration report of Tabcorp for the second time, the Australian Shareholders’ Association (ASA) shared that the Australian betting giant’s executives receive too much money. Apart from that, the ASA is also recommending investors turn down the re-election of David Gallop at the position of Tabcorp director following concerns regarding the payment received by the company’s executive were ignored. In its voting intentions, the Australian Shareholders’ Association shared that Mr Gallop chairs the nominations and remuneration committee and as such, he is the one…

Gambling companies in Australia have been officially warned, with local regulatory bodies still trying to cope with the consequences of their serious lack of action by prosecuting operators’ offences. Tabcorp has faced a second fine this month, with a New South Wales (NSW) magistrate announcing a decision to impose an A$15,000 penalty on the betting company. What is worse, the cost to the reputation of the Australian gambling giant is probably much more serious after it faced conviction for offering enticement to people who did not have a TAB betting…