Australian Poker Machine Mogul Bruce Mathieson Takes Over Almost 10% Stake in Star Entertainment Group

Australian Poker Machine Mogul Bruce Mathieson Takes Over Almost 10% Stake in Star Entertainment Group

An Australian tycoon who owns a luxury hotel chain and operates a retail supermarket chain has recently acquired a lot of shares in Star Entertainment Group. The gambling operator has been struggling financially and has seen a decline in its share price. Bruce Mathieson, however, saw a long-term potential for further development and growth in the local gambling giant and made a decision to invest a total of AU$142 million to acquire a 9.97% stake in the company. Reportedly, the popular businessman, who is currently among the wealthiest people in…

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Victorian Gambling Regulator Considers “Plan B” If Crown Resorts Found Unfit to Hold Melbourne Casino Licence

Victorian Gambling Regulator Considers “Plan B” If Crown Resorts Found Unfit to Hold Melbourne Casino Licence

The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) is currently working on what it considers a “Plan B” in an effort to make sure that Crown Resorts’ casino in Melbourne is allowed to continue operation in case the Australian gambling giant is found unsuitable to hold its casino licence. In an interview with Inside Asian Gaming, the VGCCC chief executive officer Annette Kimmitt explained that the gambling regulatory body of the state has established the implementation of a strategic plan for the worst case scenario associated with the venue as…

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NT Racing Commission Fines Ladbrokes AU$78,540 over Failures to Complete Affordability Checks and Prevent Gambling Harm

NT Racing Commission Fines Ladbrokes AU$78,540 over Failures to Complete Affordability Checks and Prevent Gambling Harm

The sports betting operator Ladbrokes has faced a monetary penalty of almost AU$80,000 for serious violations of its licence and alleged failure to limit the damage caused by a financial adviser who misappropriated millions of dollars from his customers to fuel his compulsive gambling habit. The financial adviser, named Gavin Fineff, has pleaded guilty to multiple charges of fraud-related offences in the district court of New South Wales (NSW) and is currently waiting to hear his sentence. Allegedly, he lost over AU$8 million to sports betting, with a significant part…

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UK Gambling Operators Could Be Forced to Make Compulsory Donations to Prevention and Treatment of Gambling-Related Harm

UK Gambling Operators Could Be Forced to Make Compulsory Donations to Prevention and Treatment of Gambling-Related Harm

The gambling industry will be forced to donate tens of millions of pounds for programmes associated with research, education and treatment of gambling-related harm following another gambling reforms reversal of the country’s Government. Apart from that, online gambling operators will have to carry out stricter financial checks on their consumers. According to reports emerging from the UK Government, so-called VIP packages will also be suspended from online gambling platforms. English Premier League (EPL) football clubs will not be banned from featuring betting and gambling operators as their main shirt sponsors.…

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Northern Territory’s Gambling Regulatory Body Admits That Local Sportsbooks Face Low Violation Penalties

Northern Territory’s Gambling Regulatory Body Admits That Local Sportsbooks Face Low Violation Penalties

The regulatory body that monitors almost all sportsbooks in the territory of Australia has admitted that monetary penalties for serious wrongdoings have little to no impact on a flourishing gambling sector even if they amount to tens of thousands of dollars. Currently, the country’s gambling industry is estimated at almost AU$50 billion annually. Apart from that, the Northern Territory Racing Commission (NTRC) has also informed a parliamentary inquiry that the News Corp-linked betting platform Betr has received a serious warning that its operating permit would be cancelled or suspended if…

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Australian Gambling Charities’ Adverts Blocked by Google and TikTok While Gambling Adverts Still Available Online

Australian Gambling Charities’ Adverts Blocked by Google and TikTok While Gambling Adverts Still Available Online

Some Australian services aimed at the prevention of gambling-related harm have complained that their rehabilitation adverts are being wrongly suspended online, amid reports of an ongoing increase in gambling advertising in the country and the recent partnership between TikTok and Sportsbet. Search engines, such as Google, and social media companies sometimes automatically block adverts where gambling is mentioned in order to comply either with some Government or watchdog regulations or their own advertising rules. Such actions are usually possible as a result of a combination of human oversight with algorithms…

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Simulated Casino Games Result in Massive Gambling Losses of Australians That Could Boost Problem Gambling Rates

Simulated Casino Games Result in Massive Gambling Losses of Australians That Could Boost Problem Gambling Rates

Australian residents are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on illicit and unregulated simulated casino games on an annual basis with little to no hope of getting a payout. According to experts, this trend could result in an increase in the number of problem gamblers in the country. Currently, a federal parliamentary investigation into online gambling is aimed at checking into whether simulated gambling, such as social casino games and loot boxes, should be included in the Interactive Gambling Act, under which online gambling is suspended in Australia. The Chair…

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Overall Online GGY of British Gambling Operators Reaches £1.2 Billion in the Third Fiscal Quarter of 2022/2023, UKGC Says

Overall Online GGY of British Gambling Operators Reaches £1.2 Billion in the Third Fiscal Quarter of 2022/2023, UKGC Says

UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has published the newest data about the gambling behaviour of local customers amid the existing environmental factors in the country. The data, which was provided by local gambling operators, reflects the period from March 2020 to December 2022, and covers both in-person and online gambling services offered by British high-street Licensed Betting Operators (LBOs). The gambling regulatory body noted that a comparison should not be made with the industry statistics dataset, as the newest dataset may include bonuses and free bets, and does not include data…

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Australian Online Sportsbook Betr Faces Cumulative Regulatory Fines of AU$75,000 over Serious Gambling Rule Breaches

Australian Online Sportsbook Betr Faces Cumulative Regulatory Fines of AU$75,000 over Serious Gambling Rule Breaches

The newest sports betting operator in Australia has faced an additional AU$55,000 fine for two violations of gambling rules that have been categorised as “serious” by the industry watchdog. The monetary penalties were issued by the Northern Territory’s Racing Commission. Currently, most online gambling and sports betting operators in Australia are licensed in the Northern Territory. Betr, which is currently partly owned by News Corp., started operation in October 2022, right before the Melbourne Cup. According to a decision issued by the Racing Commission in December 2022, the company had…

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Tabcorp Seeks to Increase Its Digital Market Share to 30% over the Next Two Years

Tabcorp Seeks to Increase Its Digital Market Share to 30% over the Next Two Years

After reporting a profit worth AU$52 million in six months, Tabcorp has unveiled a decision to boost its online betting profile in order to become more competitive with Ladbrokes and Sportsbet. The company, which has historically been associated with brick-and-mortar betting services, online gambling application in September 2022, with advertising materials being aired during the broadcast of the matches from the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Now, the Australian betting operator revealed it would set its online service as a matter of paramount priority, with the company aiming at attracting…

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