Author: Olivia Cole

The Government of New South Wales (NSW) intends to appeal a recent Supreme Court’s decision that could undermine a public inquiry aimed at investigating the connection between Australian largest gambling company Crown Resorts and Hong Kong-based casino group Melco Resorts & Entertainment. In 2019, an unprecedented inquiry set to investigate the announced 20% Crown Resorts’ stake sale to Melco was announced by the state’s gambling regulatory body, the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority. The probe followed some allegations that Crown Resorts started a business relationship with a company linked…

The Football Association (FA) did not permit to a gambling charity to film a video warning about the risks associated with gambling at the Wembley Stadium. As revealed by iNews, last year, the main governing body of English football was addressed by the leading gambling charity GambleAware. The latter asked the FA to allow it to use the iconic national stadium that has been one of the most popular sporting venues on a global scale to popularise its Bet Regret campaign. GambleAware has shared that despite football has become more…

One of the top suppliers of age verification solutions to the UK gambling sector, AgeChecked, revealed a concerning trend, as it raised a red flag that 80% of the gambling affiliates polled have done almost nothing to update their websites after the UK gambling watchdog has unveiled new rules for so-called free-play age verification. As AgeChecked said, less than 10% of the affiliates have implemented the required age checks on their websites as required by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). For the time being, gambling affiliates do not directly fall…

Casino giant Melco Resorts has won a court battle not to reveal some legally privileged documents at a public inquiry that is investigating its purchase of a 20% stake in Crown Resorts. In the months to come, the unprecedented inquiry carried out by the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority is set to be faced by Melco in order for the regulatory body to decide whether the gambling operator is suitable to be involved in the operation of Crown’s new casino venue in Sydney. Now, the Asian casino company will…

An Armagh pub’s owner has faced a £2,400 fine for doing nothing to stop illegal gambling that has been happening in the pub’s premises for many years. Apart from that, he has also been forced to pay a total of £24,000 in compensation to the Toal’s bookmaking chain that brought the case. The Victoria Bar situated at 32-34 Barrack Street in Armagh has been run by Herbert William Currie, who faced conviction on 24 separate charges of “carrying on a business or acting as a bookmaker” at a time when…

A European gambling operator owned by an affluent Czech businessman is reportedly considering to join the competition for a takeover of the UK National Lottery. As The Mail on Sunday revealed, Czech Republic-based Sazka Group has claimed that it has a “proven track record” when franchise means are concerned, so it would have a great position as a competitor for the operating licence of the National Lottery. The company is known for being a key asset of the KKCG investment empire that had once been established by the oil and…

Casino firm Melco Resorts and Entertainment has decided to abandon its plans to boost its stake in the Australian giant Crown Resorts due to the dangerous coronavirus spreading. Earlier today, the Hong Kong-listed gambling company revealed that it is withdrawing from the AU$880-million agreement under which it would have raised its stake in Crown Resorts to almost 20%. In a statement from Lawrence Ho-controlled Melco, it was announced that the company would quit its pursuit of the initially planned investment in Australia for the second tranche of the takeover deal…

The most recent meeting at the House of Lords’ Select Committee on the Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry saw some of the hottest issues regarding the UK gambling sector emerge. Apart from the presence of gambling in professional sport, aggressive gambling advertising on TV and social media and targetting underage individuals, the Committee also heard about the use of affiliates in gambling and how local gambling companies feel about the regulation of their affiliates. The talks raised some speculation that gambling operators’ affiliates could become officially subject…

British competition authorities have revealed their intention to review the merger between the two leading gambling operators Flutter Entertainment and The Stars Group. As announced by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) of the UK, the body would investigate the announced £10-billion deal and whether it would have a significant negative effect on competition in the local gambling sector. Such probes are not something new for the CMA. In fact, the action follows the last-minute intervention of the Authority into a combination deal between the food delivery platforms Takeaway.com and…

Yesterday, the bosses of the leading UK bookmakers revealed that big-spending customers described as VIP players account for up to 38% of the deposits received by their companies. The gambling operators are known to grant VIP status to their highest-spending users, with that status usually being associated with special enticements such as free cash bonuses or even free tickets for sporting events in order to make these customers bet even more. Yesterday, the bosses of the five largest gambling operators in the UK – PaddyPower Betfair, bet365, William Hill, Ladbrokes…