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Recently, the President of Ireland Michael D Higgins has said there are serious matters to be considered when it comes to sports betting advertising at a time when the country regulators have started a gambling sector overhaul. The statement was issued after earlier in July the Irish President appeared at a 34-unit gambling rehabilitation centre, which is hosted in Wicklow and run by the Tiglin charity organisation. At the time, he also discussed some gambling-related matters and criticised the large number of gambling adverts aired on television. At first, his…

A Scottish academic, who has called for the UK Government to make a gambling reform is now supporting a stricter regime to be imposed on video games that lure young people into spending money on so-called loot boxes. The social scientist at Glasgow University, Dr Heather Wardle, has said that, in her opinion, loot boxes should be age-restricted for individuals under the age of 18, after a study she had held suggested that children and teenagers feel controlled by game developers who only encourage them to spend money through buying…

The UK gambling regulator has suspended the operating licences of a couple of gambling companies for alleged violations. On July 7th, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) announced its decision to suspend the operating permit of Martin Henry Bailey as the company is experiencing a regulatory review under s116 of the Gambling Act of 2005. The probe follows concerns that the company’s activities may have been carried out in violation of the gambling laws. Furthermore, the country’s gambling watchdog also said that the operator may not have offered its services in…

A new study has found that, in most cases, voluntary gambling harm-reduction tools just do not work, as people do not use them. Although such gambling harm minimisation tools are aimed at providing people with the chance to set deposit limits or exclude themselves from services that could result in problem gambling behaviour. The research has been held among 40,000 Australian gamblers by the University of Sydney’s Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic (GTRC). It found that the decision of the Government to establish a self-exclusion policy had greatly affected online…

The new Chief Executive Officer of the struggling Australian gambling giant Crown Resorts has defended the company’s efforts to bring changes to its operations and structure after facing the NSW Commissioner’s damning report. During the Victoria state inquiry hearing that took place earlier today, Steve McCann shared that he was concerned about many things before taking over his new position at the company in June. He was appointed as the CEO of the struggling casino operator after the regulator announced its findings of Crown Resorts’ links to criminal organisations and…

The gambling industry trade body – the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) – has urged the UK Government to establish the figure of a Gambling Ombudsman to address consumer concerns. The BGC, which represents both the retail and the online gambling operators, has proposed that there should be a legal requirement for all gaming and betting companies that operate under a UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) licence to sign up to the new body. A number of campaigners and interest groups have insisted on the establishment of a gambling ombudsman for…

According to the fifth edition of the Social and Economic Impact Study (SEIS), gambling in Tasmania has continued to decline. The state’s Government revealed that it has put important measures in place in order to reduce problem gambling in Tasmania, with the Government also saying that the latest Report has confirmed that those measures are working as initially intended. According to the figures unveiled in the report, the prevalence of gambling has kept the downward trend, with the rates declining from 71.7% in 2008, to 58.5% in 2017 and, finally,…

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has addressed the country’s Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and urged them to suspend access to some more illegal offshore gambling platforms. The latest request of the communications and media regulator is for the Australian ISPs to block the Kings Chance Service. After receiving numerous complaints about the gambling operator’s services and an investigation into the company, the ACMA found Kings Chance Service was violating the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. The communications and media watchdog of Australia ruled that the gambling operator has been…

The UK Gambling Commission has unveiled the results of a recent study aimed at gathering more information about local consumers’ use of and opinions on different payment methods. The research, which was held online and involved 314 gamblers who had wagered in a casino or other type of retail gambling venue in the past 12 months, has shown that British gamblers remain cautious of cashless gambling technologies. The survey found that 79% of British bettors believe they will have better control over the risk associated with gambling if they use…

Teachers and youth workers in the Isle of Wight are being taught how to help young people who have developed harmful gambling habits, with compulsive gambling having risen tremendously during the coronavirus pandemic. In 2019, the Island of Wight’s Youth Mental Health Census suggested that young people who live here may be especially vulnerable to depression and anxiety, which is often related to compulsive gambling or gaming behaviours. According to reports, this behaviour has deteriorated because of the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdowns associated with it, as the local youth…