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The Illawarra Steelers Rugby League Club in Wollongong has suffered a massive blow due to a record AU$100,000 fine which was imposed on the venue for it offering free drinks and large cash incentives to encourage patrons to spend more on its poker machines. The violations happened under Scott Miles, the former general manager of the club, who is currently in jail for misappropriating AU$1 million from the venue to fund his compulsive gambling. He has also received a life-long ban from the industry. LIFE BAN: Former secretary of the…

The Alliance for Gambling Reform, an Australian movement aimed at reducing gambling-related harm, revealed yesterday that the losses on notorious poker machines reached a record high of AU$246.2 million in August 2018. The figure represented a 5.3% increase compared to the losses on pokies generated by the state’s residents in August 2017, with what was called a “disturbing trend” keeping its pace following the Victorian Parliament’s 2017 decision to greenlight poker licenses for new 20 years. The new statistics were rolled out at the beginning of the week by the…

According to sources, the Irish Government has decided to double the gambling tax as part of the 2019 budget which is set to be unveiled by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe on October 9th. Under the measure, which is to see the current 1% tax rate increased to 2%, an estimate of €50 million is expected to be raised on an annual basis. As planned, part of that money is to be redirected to fund some specialised services aimed at helping problem gamblers. As mentioned above, the country’s Finance Minister is…

The beginning of the week saw the country’s major gambling regulator – the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) – publish new standards and guidance for alternative dispute resolution (ADR) providers operating in the local gambling sector. The new standards will come into effect on October 31st and are aimed at improving the way customers’ complaints are handled by ADR providers in the UK gambling industry. After the new standards are deployed at the end of the month, the UKGC is set to begin to assess ADRs. The Gambling Commission has today…

Gambling addiction remains a major problem on the territory of Australia, with an increasing number of people being affected by its devastating impact. A 42-year-old woman from Adelaide has shared that she was addicted to poker machines for fourteen years after quickly becoming hooked on the machines and spending thousands on so-called pokies. Shonica Guy revealed that she started gambling at a local pub in her teenage years. The mother-of-one explained that at the time, she considered gambling simply a harmless way to have fun. Ms. Guy further shared that…

A Perth bank manager who appropriated an amount of almost AU$3.7 million from the branch he worked in and spent it on gambling, is to spend five and a half years in jail. The 37-year-old Daniel Petkov stole the money from the Westpac branch at Belmont in the period from July 2016 to February 2018. The man, whose wrongdoings were finally revealed in February 2018, was suffering from an undiagnosed bipolar disorder at the time. He faced charges of stealing as a servant and the District Court heard that Petkov…

The Government of the Northern Territory (NT) is reviewing the harms of gambling in the federal territory by carrying out a new research into the negative effects which gambling has on various aspects of local people’s lives. As recently revealed, the Menzies School of Health Research and Roy Morgan Research will investigate the patterns, risks and possible negative consequences associated with gambling, as well as the health and well-being of local citizens. The research is aimed at helping the NT Government to build up more specialised policies and programs primarily…

A plan aimed at reducing the number of poker machines, also known as pokies, at local venues has been backed by the Northern Beaches Council. The local government area, however, decided not to support a contentious clause that would provide it with the opportunity to suspend the machines at venues situated on the area’s land. The policy which seeks changes to be made in the area’s policy was passed with 8-6 votes at the council meeting which took place yesterday night. Joy Van Duinen, the mother of a gambling addict…

James Fyffe, the director of Dundee United, is facing Scottish FA action after facing allegations of gambling on football. The 49-year-old man is accused of violating disciplinary rule 31. A notice of complaint has been served to Fyffe, who is also a Tannadice board member and racehorse owner. The Dundee United director has until September 26th to respond to the allegations ahead of a hearing set for November 8th. As mentioned above, Mr. Fyffe is accused of breaching the Scottish FA disciplinary rules related to gambling. “No club, team official…

The beginning of September has seen a new wave of criticism to gambling operators that serve as English Premier League (EPL) kit sponsors. Local charity organisations have blamed these companies for doing literally nothing to keep local gamblers safe at a time when gambling addiction is getting more and more recognised as a public health issue. As Casino Guardian previously reported, Simon Stevens, the Chief Executive Officer of the National health Service (NHS) revealed that eight of the nine gambling operators which have shirt sponsorship deals with Premier League squads…