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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is preparing to address the subject of bonuses and other enticements used by the gambling industry to attract customers as a part of a more complex review of the sector. As previously reported, the country’s Government has been aiming at completing an overhaul of the sector, so at the end of April, it published its long-awaited White Paper on gambling. The plans remain on track even though some recommendations have been facing growing public resistance. When speaking at the British Amusement Catering Trade Association (BACTA)…

Andrew Black, one of the founders of the international gambling business Betfair, has shared some concerns that none of the seven new commissioners who were appointed to the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) earlier this week has a background in gambling. Mr Black, who is also the Chasemore Farm breeding operation’s owner, has previously scolded the way the commission’s board is formed, saying that the lack of experience in the gambling industry would mean the members’ “commonality of thinking” would not be aligned in any way with the sector. According to…

The Seven Network has faced an AU$13,320 penalty by the Australian media authority for repeated violations of the country’s gambling advertising ban during live sports events. The news about the fine emerged at a time when SBS had just announced its decision to start offering its viewers the chance to block gambling and fast food adverts for the first time. The Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) crackdown on the Seven Network follows revelations that the network broadcast 49 betting adverts during its coverage of the Olympic Games, and received…

The end of October 2023 has seen the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) publish more data on the country’s gambling industry. The UK gambling regulatory body revealed that the data, which covers both in-person and online gambling, was sourced from local high-street Licensed Betting Operators (LBOs) and reflects the period from March 2020 to September 2023. The watchdog further noted that a comparison should not be made with the industry statistics dataset because it may include bonuses and free bets and does not involve data from all operators that are available…

A UK Member of Parliament (MP) has warned that the controversial plans of the Government to overhaul the country’s gambling regulations could result in less money to support further development in equine welfare and veterinary science. The claims emerged at a time when ministers were urged to reconsider the proposed introduction of so-called affordability checks on British punters. According to the measure’s critics, proceeding further with the proposed affordability checks is likely to have a devastating effect on the country’s horse racing sector. During a Westminster Hall debate that took…

Australia’s sports betting sector has suggested removing companies’ logos from the match-day jerseys of football clubs amid an intensifying argument with the Government over a looming gambling advertising crackdown. Michelle Rowland, the Communications Minister, is preparing to make an announcement regarding some limits on TV, outdoor, and online betting adverts and has been in talks with representatives of the gambling sector, and TV and sporting code executives. As revealed by three unnamed sources from the aforementioned sectors, the gambling industry had offered to cease advertising on football clubs’ jerseys, and…

A Government survey has revealed that young Australian people in the age group between 18 and 34 years are exposed to a higher risk of gambling-related harm than any other age group. On October 26th, the Australian Gambling Research Centre at the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) published its National Gambling Trends Study’s latest edition. The survey found that 18 to 34-year-olds who gambled on regular slot machines spent an average of AU$1,453 every month on all forms of gambling. In addition, a significant majority of 89% of them…

A former Member of Parliament in the state of Victoria, Russell Northe, has faced an almost two-year imprisonment sentence for using public money worth more than AU$170,000 to fuel his problem gambling. The Melbourne Country Court officially announced his sentence in the middle of the week, after 57-year-old Northe pleaded guilty to two counts of misconduct while in public office. At the time, Judge Michael McInerney handed out a total effective imprisonment sentence of 21 months and further explained that if the defendant had not made a guilty plea, he…

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, who is the Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens party and animal welfare spokesperson, has urged the Melbourne Cup to become “whip-free” following news that an international jockey has been banned from the race after violating the whipping rules in the UK. He insisted on making the next Melbourne Cup whip-free and shared that, in his opinion, that was the least that could be done to protect horses from the cruelty and pain associated with racing. Senator Faruqi shared that if the banned jockey had been whipping…

This week, Queensland’s Parliament is set to introduce laws aimed at restricting how much time and money punters are allowed to spend on poker machines. Under the new rules, punters will not be permitted to use cash for bets worth more than AU$1,000. The move will come as a major update to Queensland’s casino control laws that were set up about 40 years ago. The new piece of legislation includes all the remaining recommendations from the recent damning inquiry into the local gambling giant Star Entertainment. As previously reported by…