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Australia’s biggest gaming and entertainment group Crown Resorts is shifting its focus towards social responsibility and problem gambling prevention with the introduction of its new Crown PlaySafe program. The harm reduction package is valued at AU$13 million (£6.7 million) and will be introduced at all Australian properties operated by the beleaguered gambling company. The program focuses on several main areas, including developing products with problem gambling reduction in mind, creating a safer environment for players, allocating more funds for data monitoring and research, and adopting a more culturally relevant approach…

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has added five other illegal offshore gambling sites to its list of blocked operators. The regulator demanded that Australian Internet Service Providers (ISPs) should block the websites of the brand Reef Reels, Royal Reels, Ricky Casino, Slots Gallery, and Slotastic. All five of them were found guilty of violating the 2001 Interactive Gambling Act. The ACMA issued its first block request in November 2019 and since then, 803 affiliated and illegal websites have been blocked. In addition, more than 200 illegal services have…

Vision, filmed by a drone operator, depicting multiple greyhounds, including puppies, facing violence on a property situated in the south-east part of Adelaide, has been aired by the ABC News. According to notes accompanying the video footage, the vision was filmed over a 17-day period in June and early July 2023, with the claim being supported by the files’ metadata. As reported by the ABC News, one of the videos that is claimed to be filmed on June 17th shows a man who seems to be encouraging a black dog…

Les Boag, the chair of the Canberra Racing Club (CRC), has urged the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government to follow suit of its counterparts in South Australia and boost the revenue returned to the local industry. As of the beginning of the month, the ACT Government officially implemented a change aimed at increasing the local Point-of-Consumption Tax (PoCT) from 20% to 25%. According to preliminary expectations shared by the local authorities, the increase is expected to bring approximately AU$32 million to Government coffers every year. Only a month ago, in…

UK lawmakers have made a promise to crack down on unlawful advertising by imposing stricter rules for social media and online platforms such as Google Ads, forcing them to take stricter action to prevent underage individuals from seeking a range of adverts for products such as gambling or alcohol. Earlier today, the UK Government announced that it plans to introduce rules aimed at making the online advertising industry in the country more suitable for the digital age, including preventing various scams involving social media influencers and celebrities, who receive gifts…

The major gambling regulator in the UK has asserted that the local customers’ capability to withdraw funds from their accounts has been raised as a “number one” issue. Lucy Denton, UK Gambling Commission’s (UKGC) director of communications, noted that while gambling operators should not hold back players from the chance to cash out some funds from their gambling accounts, some restrictions in terms of customers’ deposits may apply. Currently, the UKGC is having some negotiations with industry stakeholders regarding the recommendations issued by the UK Government as part of its…

The UK Government has rejected a proposal tabled by the Treasury Committee at the House of Commons to regulate crypto retail trading in the same way gambling is currently overseen. At the time when it denied the proposal, the Government highlighted that it strongly disagrees with the position shared by the Committee. In mid-May, a number of British lawmakers urged the Government to regulate the UK cryptocurrency market like gambling. At the time, the Treasury Committee issued a report saying that crypto investment activity pretty much poses the same risk…

Concerns regarding live sports (including horseracing and soccer) broadcasts have recently emerged, following a proposed ban on gambling advertising in Ireland. After the ban was initially rejected in January 2023, Ireland’s Department of Justice (DoJ) expressed its willingness to back the further advancement of the Gambling Regulation Bill as part of this year’s Justice Plan of the country just a few months later, in April. The proposed piece of legislation includes a bunch of measures that aim at protecting local gamblers and preventing them from spending too much on gambling…

The UK gaming industry has shared plans to try and bring some restrictions to children’s access to loot boxes. Loot boxes are special in-game items that provide players with the opportunity to purchase some extras to enhance their gameplay. These extras, however, are randomly assigned, with some campaigners being concerned about the potential links between loot boxes and problem gambling. Apart from that, loot boxes require players to pay with real money in return for the digital items they get. However, players are not aware of what they are getting…

The Government of New South Wales (NSW) has been even more eagerly called to discard its “unnecessary” cashless gambling card trial and take stricter action on the planned poker machine reform, especially after the state of Victoria recently announced massive changes aimed at fighting illegal money laundering and tackling gambling-related harm. According to Tim Costello, a long-time anti-gambling campaigner, the changes in Victoria have now put the focus on the NSW Labour Party, which has so far refused to introduce sweeping changes unveiled by the previous Government of Premier Perrotet…