Author: Olivia Cole

A veteran executive of Crown Resorts has made a confession about taking advantage of problem gamblers. In evidence to Victoria’s Royal Commission, Peter Lawrence, the executive in charge of the VIP Mahogany Room at Crown Melbourne, said that his team was “predatory” in their attitude towards casino patrons who found it hard to control their gambling. Earlier this week, Mr Lawrence was forced to make a confession that he exaggerated his formal statement to the probe, which is aimed at establishing whether Crown Resorts is fit to keep its Melbourne…

The British free-to-air television channel ITV faced criticism for not suspending gambling adverts during Euro 2020. The head of the social policy group Christian Action Research and Education (CARE) has addressed the chief executive officer and the chairman of ITV, criticising the broadcaster’s decision not to ban gambling ads during the football tournament that is scheduled to start in a couple of days. In a letter to the television channel, Nola Leach, the CEO of CARE urged Carolyn McCall, CEO of ITV, and Sir Peter Bazalgette, chairman of ITV, to…

Australian gambling operator Crown Resorts has circumvented making payments of almost AU$200 million over the past seven years. The casino behemoth has managed to avoid making the due payments by describing marketing costs as “winnings” paid out from its venues’ poker machines at the time when it calculated its gambling tax bill. Yesterday, the Royal Commission into Crown Resorts in Victoria that the casino venue has been deducting costs of loyalty scheme points, free accommodation and meals from the money paid out by the 2,628 pokies hosted at its Melbourne…

Norwich City Football Club has revealed that their shirt sponsorship with the online gambling operator Dafabet has come to an end. The announcement has come amid recent speculation about a sponsorship deal of the British football club with another gambling company. After the club’s promotion to the English Premier League (EPL) in 2019, Norwich City announced a “record-breaking partnership” with Dafabet, with the online gambling operator becoming its front-of-shirt sponsor for three seasons. Under the terms of the partnership agreement, the gambling company had its branding featured around the Carrow…

The Royal Commission into the Southbank operations of Crown Resorts has heard that the gambling operator’s system is set in a way to allow casino patrons to play for hours undisturbed by staff members. Evidence presented at the Royal Commission hearings shows that gamblers at Crown Resorts’ gaming floors were able to play for at least 12 hours before members of the casino staff go and check on them. The inquiry into Crown Resort’s Southbank operations and their suitability to hold a casino operating licence has heard that one Crown…

British gambling giant Entain has addressed Tabcorp, saying that should the Australian gambling company make a move to spin off its gaming and lottery divisions into stand-alone entities, it will not be successful. The message has been sent to Taborp as part of Entain’s effort to convince the decision-makers at the Australian gambling operator to accept its acquisition offer for the units. Lately, Tabcorp has found it hard to supports its gaming operations, which definitely raised the interest of a number of companies in a potential takeover deal. Apart from…

Australian gambling operator Crown Resorts has promised to bring some changes to its responsible gambling program in what was described as the last-hour admission after the company has failed to limit the harm inflicted to problem gamblers in its casinos. Earlier today, Adrian Finanzio, SC, who is the counsel assisting the inquiry, shared there was evidence of serious failures of Crown Resorts when it comes to the implementation of the responsible gaming code of conduct that the authorities required of its casino in Melbourne. As Mr Finanzio explained, it seems…

One of the biggest media conglomerates in Australia, News Corp Australia, is in advanced negotiations with a consortium linked to the bookmaker Matthew Tipp. the deal, under which a new betting outfit is expected to be rolled out, would greatly impact both the ongoing bidding war for the wagering and media arm of Tabcorp and the local gambling sector. As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, people linked to the industry, who asked not to be named because the negotiations are private, revealed that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp is also…

The bidding war for the biggest gambling company in Australia just heated up, as Tabcorp has received a third acquisition offer. BetMarkets Technology, which operates a local gambling platform, has made an AU$4-billion takeover bid for the betting and media arm of Tabcorp, which includes the company’s TAB business, the lottery brands The Lott and Keno, as well as the broadcaster Sky Racing. This is not the first offer for the company’s wagering and media business, as the UK gambling giant Entain and the US investment manager Apollo have already…

Some gamblers at the Ritz Club have lost over £780,000 in transactions following the club’s basement casino was forced to cease operation during the first lockdown. Reportedly, patrons, including billionaires and celebrities, have been “devastated” after the announcement of the gambling establishment’s closure because of the coronavirus pandemic outbreak before it permanently stopped operation. Celebrities such as Johnny Depp, Al Pacino and Bill Clinton have been among the customers of the gambling venue before it closed at the end of May 2020 never to reopen. The club had operated as…