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Lately, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has taken widespread regulatory action against online casino operators in an attempt to battle problem gambling and money laundering in the sector. As part of an ongoing investigation into the local gambling industry, the major gambling regulatory body in the country has imposed almost £14 million in financial penalties on three online casino companies for failures to comply with the requirements for effective customer protection and anti-money laundering policies. As Casino Guardian previously reported, Daub Alderney faced a £7.1-million monetary penalty earlier in November.…

Concerns about under-age gambling are spreading in the UK. The last meeting of the Telford & Wrekin Council saw some questions being raised in terms of possible measures that could be taken by the borough to reduce the number of children who participate in gambling activities. The concerns have been shared after the council unanimously gave the green light to the licensing policy following a three-year review. Chris Turley, who heads the licensing committee of the Telford & Wrekin Council, revealed that there was a statutory requirement that the council’s…

Clubs in Canberra will have to surrender their electronic gaming machines licenses from April 2019 – a step which comes as part of the Government’s gambling reforms and is aimed at cutting the number of machines on gaming floors to a total of 4,000 by 2020. Yesterday, the Government finally passed the long-awaited changes in the existing gambling legislation, with an overhaul of the contribution system of the clubs community in Canberra also being involved in the changes, under which the contributions are raised to 8.8% of net gaming revenue,…

An expert has said that children should be suspended from accessing online games such as Candy Crush Saga so that they are protected from becoming gambling addicts when they are older. As The Daily Telegraph reported, Professor Mark Griffiths has warned that gaming applications create an inclination for betting in children, even if it does not come to betting for real money. According to him, so-called simulated gambling which allows players to win special features or add-ons in the course of play makes the process easier. Professor Griffiths, who takes…

The Church of England has unveiled its intention to start a special parliamentary inquiry into the damage caused to society by the liberalisation of gambling laws which was started under the Labour party more than ten years ago. According to the Church of England, the laxer laws have been one of the main reasons for the gambling “epidemic” which has spread across the UK residents and endangers not only their financial state but also their mental health. In addition, the increased levels of gambling participation and problem gambling threaten to…

The number of under-aged individuals categorised as problem gamblers in the UK has seen a massive increase in the past year, with the trend being described as a “generational scandal”. The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) issued a report, according to which, about 55,000 children aged between 11 and 16 can be categorised as problem gamblers. In comparison, their number amounted to 25,000 last year. The major gambling industry regulatory body also found an even more troubling trend, as a further 70,000 children are at risk of getting addicted to gambling…

Australian people are still generating the largest losses on gambling on a global scale, according to recent data. According to estimates provided by H2 Gambling Capital, a global gambling analyst firm based in the UK, revealed that Australian adults’ gambling losses amounted to $958 (AU$1,324) in 2017 alone. The losses generated by Hong Kong citizens were the second-highest but still a lot smaller in comparison to the ones of Australians, as they amount to $768. Singapore adults’ gambling losses amount to $725 in 2017 and rank third. New Zealanders, on…

Northland counsellors are seeing an increase in the number of people who gamble online and get affected by the negative impact of gambling addiction. According to specialists, the rise is concerning especially for people who are categorised as problem gamblers, as such players are more likely to spend large sums of money while gambling online. According to data revealed by Nga Manga Puriri Northland Problem Gambling Services, there have already been too many people engaged with problem gambling. The organisation which provides confidential and free counselling from people suffering from…

Prime Minister Theresa May has been forced to reconsider and withdraw her position over the expected crackdown on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs), after a large number of ministerial aides threatened they will follow Tracey Crouch and will resign if the Government does not proceed with the reform’s initially-announced deadline. The change was revealed in a written statement to Members of Parliament by the Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright, who also announced that an increase in remote gaming duty will also be made so that the change is affordable. The statutory instrument…

The objections to the UK Government’s decision are getting more serious by the hour. Now, it became clear that Theresa May could lose twelve more ministerial aides after they have warned the Prime Minister they will resign in case she does not reconsider the delayed crackdown on notorious fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs). The controversy between anti-gambling campaigners and the proponents of the machines grew stronger after the Government announced its decision to put off the implementation of the new maximum stake of FOBTs until October 2019, and especially after Tracey…