News

The last twenty years have seen a rapid increase in the use of mobile phones as a result of some considerable changes in the way we live and manage our daily routines. Smartphones have become an important part of people’s lives. As revealed by a survey held by Ofcom, 78% of adult people used a smartphone in 2018. In comparison, only 39% of the adults used a smartphone in 2012. The last few years have also seen smartphones become the most popular method for people to go online, overtaking computers…

A young British woman took her life after spending £36,000 on gambling in a fortnight, leaving her mother homeless. The 32-year-old Kimberley Wadsworth was given the money from her mother, who sold her house to pay for her daughter’s debts. Unfortunately, she failed to control her compulsive gambling habit and spent the entire amount on gambling, which left her cashless and ashamed. She then sent her mother a message and committed suicide. The young woman, who originates from Ilkley, West Yorkshire, started gambling in online casinos four years ago, at…

England rugby players have received warnings not to use their mobile phones on match days following the betting scandal involving the Wales coach Rob Howley, according to media reports. The former Welsh rugby union player and now-coach has been brought back home after revelations that he is facing an investigation for an alleged violation of some regulatory rules associated with anti-corruption and betting. The scandal emerged only a few days before the official start of the World Cup on September 20th, and now, information has emerged that all rugby teams,…

Today, the first National Health Service (NHS) gambling clinic outside London, is set to open doors in Leeds. According to reports, there are currently over 10,000 gambling addicts in the city. The results of a recent survey have shown that problem gambling “costs” the UK one life on a daily basis. Hopefully, new plans for dealing with a large number of gambling addicts will help the authorities tackle harmful consequences of gambling thanks to the funding of £34 billion which the Government provided to the NHS for its Long Term…

Several different organisations have been addressed by councillors who asked them to provide some figures regarding gambling participation and problem gambling rates as part of the Bradford District authorities’ efforts to tackle problem gambling. A recent meeting of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee has seen Bradford Council’s members discuss the increasing number of gambling addiction cases. At the time, they heard the opinions of a recovering gambling addict and a representative of the gambling operator William Hill. Tony Franklin, a recovering problem gambler, revealed that he used to spend up to…

Campaigners have been urging competent regulators to close the last remaining greyhound racing tracks in Scotland and fully ban the activity there. Gill Docherty has filed a petition representing the Scotland Against Greyhound Exploitation (SAGE) to highlight the fact that greyhound racing is currently legally allowed in only eight countries worldwide. According to the information included in the petition, there are two race tracks, one of which unlicensed, which are still available north of the Border. The first one, which is also under the governance of the Greyhound Board of…

The Church of England has once again warned that addictive computer games could have serious consequences on children. Dr Alan Smith, the Bishop of St Albans, has explained that gambling operators were offering games with a harmful product that could be dangerous for children’s lives. That is exactly why he has been urging the British Government to ban the sale of content which includes the sale of so-called loot boxes and other in-game features, describing them as a “gateway to gambling”. The warning of Dr Alan Smith comes after the…

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) has appointed a new minister to oversee the British gambling industry. It is Helen Whately, Member of Parliament for Faversham and Mid Kent, who is to occupy the role. This has been the third ministerial appointment in less than twelve months after the former Sports Minister Tracey Crouch resigned from her position to protest against the UK Treasury attempts to postpone the implementation of the stricter regulation of controversial fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs). The resignation of Ms Crouch led to the…

Some Members of Parliament have once again called for the UK gambling industry’s trade body to address in-game spending and fully suspend children from accessing so-called loot boxes. According to MPs, British gambling legislation should regulate in-game spending. The trade body which regulates the industry has responded to the calls, saying that it takes them very seriously and would review the MPs’ recommendations. According to some campaigners, free video games often encourage customers to purchase so-called loot boxes, which they claim are a type of gambling. Moreover, some online games…

A former senior judge has commented on the recent allegations of connections with crime organisations which have been recently faced by Crown Resorts, saying that the integrity watchdog which oversees the home affairs department is not the right one to deal with the case. This opinion is putting the government’s model for a federal anti-corruption body under question. Recently, the Federal Government of Australia has been facing pressure to unveil stricter regulation after the beginning of the week saw the Senate pass the Greens’ bill seeking to establish a body…