Author: Olivia Cole

Following an announcement of its first-half results, the British bookmaker William Hill revealed that it intends to permanently shut 119 of its UK betting shops. The gambling operator, which currently runs about 1,500 betting outlets across the country, shared that it did not expect customer volumes to be the same as they used to be before the coronavirus pandemic outbreak. As William Hill announced, around 300 staff members were affected by the closures but so far all of them but 20 had been transferred to shops that remain operable. The…

During the New South Wales (NSW) government inquiry, the gambling company Star Entertainment has confirmed it still collaborates with a major junket operator that has allegedly been associated with criminal organisations. The casino giant explained that it has not found enough evidence to put an end to its business relationship with its junket partner. The inquiry held by the NSW gambling regulator into Crown Resorts heard that the Star Entertainment closed the private gaming room held by its junket partner Suncity at the Star Sydney casino in 2019 after a…

The mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, revealed that new life has been brought to the rejected 51-storey tower of Star Casino following the publication of a draft 20-year strategy associated with Pyrmont’s development. On July 30th, the government of New South Wales (NSW) released a draft planning strategy for Pyrmont, describing it as a vision for the employment, innovation and entertainment in the area, which, according to them, would keep its uniqueness intact. However, under the newly-unveiled strategy, the authorities would allow the construction of buildings that are up to…

Gambling companies’ owners have warned that the last-minute decision of Prime Minister Boris Johnson to once again postpone the reopening of casino venues in the country could jeopardise up to 6,000 jobs in the sector. Gambling bosses, along with the trade body representing the companies, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), described the Prime Minister’s actions as swindling a wrecking ball through the industry after the official plans associated with the much-awaited reopening of casinos on August 1st were put on hold again. The British Government has made a change…

GVC Holdings is trying to calm down its investors in regard to the press speculation associated with the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigation into the gambling giant’s former Turkish-facing business. Now, the company is trying to reassure its stakeholders that rumours that emerged in some media about a probe into alleged links of the former Turkish unit of the operator to online gambling payment processor Wirecard is all fake news. The share price of GVC Holdings suffered a decline of almost 9% in early trading on the London Stock…

Gambling giant Crown Resorts is conducting due diligence of its junket partners in order to check for potential criminal links. The checks are starting with the marketing team that has been given the responsibility to attract high-roller customers to the company’s Australian casinos, creating what Crown Resorts’ compliance and legal officer admits could be a conflict of interest. Earlier today, the Chief Legal Officer of the casino company testified in the inquiry held into Crown Resorts by the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority to find out how the gambling…

The Chief Legal Officer of Crown Resorts claims he was not aware of concerns associated with the poor regulation of Macau junket operators and the barely sufficient probity checks that were carried out at the time when allegations emerged that Crown’s junket partners were linked to criminal organisations. Joshua Preston, who currently leads Crown Resorts’ legal and regulatory compliance operations, was unable to answer an inquiry of the NSW Government whether any kind of review was carried out by the casino operator into its junket partners at the time when…

TAB customers in the Northern Territory, Tasmania, South Australia and Queensland would be able to access new products to bet on, including live US sports and exclusive promotions thanks to a new merger announced by the gambling company. Thanks to a completed merger with UBET, TAB was able to expand its offering with flexi betting, Same Game Multis, special US sports and Watch and Bet function, and some additional tote products, such as Big 6 and Early Quaddie. One of the largest Australian gambling operators further revealed that it has…

Casinos in England are set to resume operations on August 1st, after the reopening was approved by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Casino venues across the country have been shut since March 21st after the lockdown measure was imposed as part of the Government’s policy to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus infection. And while casino patrons in England are impatient to see the venues operating again, the same does not apply for gambling fans in Wales and Scotland, as they are set to remain closed. The lockdown that forced…

There are very few industries that have not been affected by the coronavirus crisis, with the gambling sector definitely not being one of them. Although online gambling has registered an excellent performance and even growth during the coronavirus pandemic, companies operating in the retail gambling sector have suffered a massive blow by the shutdown measures that had been imposed to prevent further spread of the Covid-19 infection. Furthermore, UK bookmakers have predicted that the worst is yet to come. The last few months have been difficult for most bookmakers due…