Author: Olivia Cole

According to recent research, Australian residents lose about AU$22 billion on gambling on an annual base, which has been estimated as the largest per capita losses on a global scale. Now, a project unveiled in collaboration between the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Suncorp Bank will see the release of a special toolkit aimed at helping the minimisation of gambling-related harm inflicted on people who have been suffering the negative effects of their compulsive behaviour. Professor Ross Gordon from the School of Advertising, Marketing and PR at the Queensland…

The UK gambling and sports betting operator Entain is entering the media world with the launch of 4 online channels featuring greyhound and horse racing. The operator, which currently owns brands such as Ladbrokes, bwin, Sportingbet, and PartyPoker, has now created a media arm that would produce written content and documentaries as part of the gambling company’s effort to become a “fully-fledged media business”. The new media division of Entain currently involves only about 30 people, with the team being divided into 3 arms – long-form video, live channels, and…

A native tribe based on the Gold Coast has filed a Native Title claim for a valuable piece of land there and unveiled its intention to use the area for its own commercial purposes. The Kombumerri-NgarangWal Saltwater People have lodged a Native Title claim with the Federal Court for The Spit on the Gold Coast, which is currently among the most highly-rated parcels of land there, asking the Court to reaffirm the tribe’s legitimate rights to its land. The tribe also unveiled its plans to turn the parcel into a…

Gamblers in Victoria have lost AU$66 billion in the 3 decades since electronic slot machines got officially introduced in the state, according to calculations provided by the Alliance for Gambling Reform, an anti-gambling campaign group aimed at reducing gambling-related harm in the country. The organisation used data gathered by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) and found that, currently, Australian residents rank first in average gambling losses, with annual losses of about $1,000. Thirty years ago, the state of Victoria allowed the launch of a total of 10,000…

The battle for the UK National Lottery licence shows no signs of slowing down. The current licence holder Camelot has moved to appeal the unfavourable High Court ruling that paved the way for rival Allwyn Entertainment taking charge of the lottery. In late June, the High Court ruled in favour of lifting the automatic suspension that deterred the UKGC from granting the next lottery licence to Allwyn. The latter is an international lottery operator with a strong presence in various markets, including Poland, Switzerland, Belgium, the Czech Republic, and the…

Following a previous Austria exit, the online gambling and sports betting company bet-at-home has now refused to fight back for its recently lost gambling operating licence in the UK. Only a few days after the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) announced its decision to suspend the UK operating permit of bet-at-home, the company officially revealed that it would be leaving the country’s market for good. The move was made right before an upcoming review process that could have seen the gambling operator’s licence restored, which would have allowed bet-at-home to continue…

The managing director and CEO of Iris Capital, Sam Arnaout, has managed to surpass the acquisition offer made by the Gravanis brothers in the ongoing competition to take over Casino Canberra from Aquis Entertainment. As a result, the Rich Lister is set to add another asset to his hospitality empire worth AU$5 billion. Earlier this week – on July 12th – Aquis Entertainment, which is linked to Hong Kong billionaire Tony Fung, officially announced that it had given the nod to a revised offer of Iris Capital. The deal, which…

A new partnership agreement with the Australian broadcasting group Sky Racing has recently been announced by Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV). As a result of the deal, the broadcasting rights of the group that airs primarily live thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing will be extended by another 4 years. According to Greyhound Racing Victoria, the newly-announced partnership will help popularise greyhound racing as the regulator develops additional content for Sky Racing. For the time being, a total of 13 tracks across the state are managed by the controlling body that regulates…

The interim boss of Star Entertainment is not aware whether the Australian gambling giant was paying any monetary penalties for its violations of Queensland’s state gambling legislation over the last 5 years. Geoff Hogg, who is the interim CEO of the casino company, admitted that Star Entertainment has been responsible for several “minor breaches” of the state’s gambling laws since 2017. He explained that the majority of these violations have been incidents, such as a staff error on tables or a patron exclusion. Mr Hogg shared that he was unable…

Latest reports have shown that gambling operators in the UK can definitely make more efforts to regulate their services in order to take care of vulnerable customers who are considered at risk. At least these are the conclusions that most UK gambling companies could make from the tragic death of Ryan Myers from Huyton, Lancashire, who committed suicide as a result of excessive gambling. The 27-year-old man reportedly took his own life as his gambling addiction made life too difficult for him and pushed him to suicide. Before taking his…