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Anti-gambling campaigners claim that the reopening of controversial poker machines after over three months of lockdown was a mistake, saying that the authorities missed an opportunity to tackle gambling addiction in South Australia. As of yesterday, phase three of the relaxation of the Government’s restrictions made it possible for pubs to reopen their gaming rooms. Apart from that, the maximum limit on the number of customers inside hotels and bars was also removed, provided patrons did not exceed one person per 2 square metres. The relaxed lockdown measures fuelled some…

A parliamentary committee has warned that the British Government and the country’s gambling regulatory – the UK Gambling Commission – do not understand the harmful effects of gambling and how to minimise them. According to a report issued by the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Commons, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the UKGC have failed to provide proper help to an estimated number of 395,000 gambling addicts in the country and a further 1.8 million individuals who are considered at risk of becoming…

The first application aimed at helping people who want to tackle their gambling habits has been designed in New Zealand. Now, individuals, who feel gambling is no longer fun and has become a problem, are being asked to try the application for 12 weeks as part of a nationwide study aimed at checking whether the application would help them reduce or fully quit their gambling. It was the National Institute for Health Innovation at Auckland University that developed the mobile application, called Manaaki. Deakin University in Australia and the local…

Some Northern Ireland politicians have addressed their colleagues based in Westminster to seek some guidance at a time when they are rolling out an inquiry that is aimed at establishing a new gambling legislation in the UK province. The Stormont-based APG on Reducing Harm Related to Gambling that has recently been established, revealed that it is to take guidance from Westminster’s Gambling-Related Harm APPG as its inquiry is in progress, with evidence sessions set to start in September 2020. According to the Northern Ireland politicians’ group, the proposals that their…

The British gambling standards body, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), has denounced the UK government’s decision to further put off the reopening of landbased casinos while allowing other entertainment and hospitality businesses to resume their operations as planned, on July 4. In an official Tuesday statement, Great Britain’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced he had decided to lift the coronavirus restrictions on a broad variety of businesses, including hair salons, dining establishments, pubs, hotels, and museums. However, gambling venues, which shut their doors to customers on March 23, did…

A recent survey carried out by BonusFinder determined that 94% of the gamblers in Great Britain are familiar with the tools for responsible gaming, offered to them by licensed betting operators during the coronavirus lockdown in the past four months. The survey in question involved 500 casino and bingo bettors from the United Kingdom. It was established that roughly 31% of British players from different age groups admitted to having placed more wagers than they normally would between the months of March and June 2020. The survey also showed that…

Australian gambling reform proponents insist on the introduction of tougher measures, following the reopening of gambling venues across the New South Wales province on June 1. The global COVID-19 pandemic caused gambling venues around Australia to close their doors to customers on March 23. It is estimated that the temporary closure of gaming rooms in the country has prevented gamblers from Down Under from losing almost $2.5 billion at slot machines, or “pokies” as Australians commonly call them. Gambling reform proponents were hoping locals who struggle with slot addition would…

The planning committee of the Birmingham City Council has given thumbs up to the plans for a new betting arcade in Erdington despite some claims that the establishment of such a venue could lead to more criminal activity. Gambling company Cashino has filed an application to Birmingham City Council to give it permission to turn a pawnbrokers site on the high street of Erdington into an adult gaming centre. City councillors have now given the green light to the project with five votes “for”, three votes “against” and one abstain…

Although the Federal Government has followed a stricter policy in its attempt to block unlicensed online gambling sites, there was an increase in web searches and traffic to illegal offshore casinos during the coronavirus lockdown in Australia. According to exclusive online traffic data unveiled by SEMrush, the number of “online pokies” web searches on the territory of Australia rose from 12,000 in February 2020 to 40,500 in April 2020, amid the shutdown and social isolation measures that forced local clubs, pubs and retail casinos shut operations. As revealed by the…

The Centracare’s gambling helpline has registered an increase in customer calls during the closures of Queensland TAB areas and poker machines were not operational because of the coronavirus pandemic lockdown. The surprising part was the fact that the calls were not made by people seeking help. As Casino Guardian has already reported, the nationwide closures of gaming rooms due to the Covid-19 restrictions have made local gamblers turn to other forms of gambling. Emma Every, head of gambling at Centacare North Queensland, revealed that the sharp increase in the number…