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According to recent media reports, the UK Government has proposed to put off the planned overhaul of the country’s gambling industry. This, however, has fuelled anti-gambling campaigners’ concerns that the postponement could result in more negative consequences for problem gamblers and even to suicide. The gambling laws review has been part of the 2019 general election manifesto of the Conservative party, which used it to respond to the increasing concern of local politicians, anti-gambling campaigners and civil society groups about the regulation of the British gambling industry that is estimated…

The Australian bookmaker Rob Waterhouse has faced an illegal gambling advertising conviction in Downing Centre Local Court on December 9th. As a result, he was imposed a monetary fine of AU$4,500 by the Liquor and Gaming New South Wales. Back in 2020, the liquor and gaming regulatory body in the state of NSW revealed that it responded to reports that Rob Waterhouse was offering a promotion of five daily boosts, which provided players with the opportunity to get improved odds on up to 5 bets on a daily basis on…

The UK gambling regulatory body shared that anti-money laundering and social responsibility remain the two biggest weaknesses for the country’s gambling sector. This was made clear by Andrew Rhodes, the Chief Executive Officer of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) that has just published its Compliance and Enforcement Report for the 2020/2021 financial year. The Report provides more detailed information about the extensive casework of the UK gambling watchdog against local licence holders and the flaws in their policies, detailing where the gambling sector needs to raise the current standards. In…

The Gambling Minister revealed that gambling operators could be required to ask their customers for payslips in order to prevent losses punters could not afford. Chris Philp, who took over the position in September and is currently overseeing a comprehensive review of the country’s gambling sector, cited a “moral obligation” of the companies to tackle problem gambling. He also outlined a number of proposals made by the Government, which indicate the authorities’ willingness to impose stricter measures on companies operating in the sector, with these restrictions expected to reduce the…

A fan of Norwich City F.C. has shared that he was left literally on the brink of suicide after losing more than £98,000 at the time when the online gambling platform Football Index collapsed. The 27-year-old player, who works in the sales division at an engineering company and specifically asked for anonymity, joined Football Index’s gambling platform back in 2018 after he saw it advertised on sports channels. Initially, he invested a total of £3,000 in the platform but in the months prior to the collapse of the company into…

The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) has provided its support to an English professional cricket player by paying his gambling debts off. A few years ago, Azeem Rafiq, a 30-year-old cricket player had racked up massive gambling-related debts worth thousands of dollars. To help him, the PCA offered its moral and financial support by paying his debts off and directing him to professional gambling counselling. The story came to light amid some allegations of racial discrimination that the PCA is currently facing. Mr Rafiq himself has described his interest in gambling…

The largest gathering of people who had lost a friend or a member of their families as a result of gambling-related suicide is set to take place in the UK on December 8th. The victims’ families are expected to urge the UK Government to initiate a series of independent investigations into deaths related to the local gambling industry. According to a study of Public Health England published in September, over 409 English people take their own lives because of problem gambling every year. The study was actually the first time…

The Government of South Australia has joined forces with Adelaide United as part of its efforts to establish some good practices and role models for promoting sports without advertising sports betting services. The new initiative has come in response to the prevalence of sports betting in the state and will be based on a multi-year partnership between the local government and the A-League soccer club. The South Australian Government is hoping that its collaboration with the soccer team will help it offset the interest in sports betting and diminish the…

Gambling revenue in Western Australia has reached a record amount of AU$2.4 billion, although there have been severe lockdown and social distancing restrictions of land-based gambling in the entire country because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Racing and Wagering authority of Western Australia has boosted the funding for marketing and promotional activities by almost one quarter (22%) to over AU$34 million in the past year. According to reports, at the same time, the funding for problem gambling support, education and treatment in the state has fallen by 15% to less…

Clubs and pubs in Australia have been placed under increased scrutiny following reports that their poker machines have served as laundromats and actually facilitated the money laundering of over AU$1 billion. According to a joint report that has recently been released by the local media outlets The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and 60 Minutes, there was evidence that a money-laundering organisation operating out of clubs and pubs in the states of New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland with impunity, in some occasions took over some gaming rooms in order…