News

UK racing suffered another major blow yesterday after the country’s Government rejected the industry’s request to roll out a formal review of the applicable gambling levy in 2021. In a letter sent to the Chair of the British Horseracing Association (BHA), Annamarie Phelps, the country’s Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston has made it clear that the current review of the UK Gambling Act of 2005 will not include the increase of the levy rate above the 10% one that local bookmakers are currently obliged to pay. Mr Huddleston shared that the…

The European lottery operator Sazka Group has hired the former Chief Executive Officer of Sainsbury – Justin King – as an advisor on its bid to acquire the operating licence for the UK National Lottery. Mr King, who is a veteran in the retail sector, currently occupies the vice-chairman position at Terra Firma, a private equity firm. Prior to the ten years spent at the leader’s position at Sainsbury, he also occupied top executive jobs at Marks & Spencer and Asda. He is the first person appointed to a new…

Amendments to the Gaming and Lotteries Act have already been passed by the Irish Government as part of the country’s interim measure preceding a more serious overhaul of gambling legislation that is expected to commence later in 2021. The Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Act 2019 was officially brought into force on December 1st, 2020. As revealed by Casino Guardian, the piece of legislation introduces a more consistent licensing application process and includes better protection for underage individuals, as it sets the legal age of 18 as the minimum age for…

The way the online betting monopoly in New Zealand handles a recent money incident with a local bettor seems to be undermining the company’s own arguments that it offers the only safe option for local punters. The situation occurred after a local punter revealed that he had been having difficulties to get on terms with New Zealand TAB to reimburse him for an amount that the sports betting operator paid out in counterfeit notes. As shared by Bruce Gasson, a high-roller TAB customer, he won a total of NZ$680 at…

A template letter to Members of Parliament that has been distributed within the sports sector highlights the chance of a £60-million hit that could be inflicted to the horse racing industry in the UK. Reportedly, the letter contains some complaints associated with the potential impact that affordability checks on local gamblers and the calls on British lawmakers to impose further restrictions on the sector. As The Guardian has reported, the author of the letter remains unknown, but it was obviously drafted after the most powerful sports betting operators agreed that…

A Batley and Spen MP has called the UK Government to reduce the disproportionate problem gambling rates in the region, describing the issue as a “crisis waiting to happen” among underage individuals. Tracy Brabin said the country’s Government had to act as soon as possible to prevent a whole generation of young people from turning to problem gamblers. Ms Brabin explained that the specialist NHS Northern Gambling Clinic situated in Leeds was doing a great job but more efforts are necessary, especially in terms of protecting children from gambling-related harm.…

A British charity organisation claims that despite the increased regulation of gambling in the country that aims at providing protection for gambling addicts but also sees a need for better protection of regular gambles from what it described as “problem bookies”. The local charity organisation Gambling with Lives has reported that there are currently around 340,000 adult problem gamblers on the territory of the country and a further 55,000 children aged between 11 and 16 who face the same problem. The charity claims that, according to research, between 4% and…

Newly-unveiled WhatsApp group messages have shown that the English football player Kieran John Trippier told some of his friends to “lump on” his negotiated move to Atletico Madrid a few days before he left Tottenham F.C. Furthermore, it was revealed that the 30-year-old Trippier rejected the offer for a delay of his personal hearing over the betting charges he faced from the Football Association (FA). This decision was the reason why he missed England’s match against Denmark in October 2020. In December, Kieran Trippier faced a 10-week worldwide ban from…

The beginning of the week saw the Prime Minister of the UK, Boris Johnson, announce that England is entering the third national lockdown. The measure is being adopted as of midnight on January 5th and is set to last until at least February 15th. The latest lockdown is once again set to include the closure of the land-based gambling sector. The measure has been unveiled as part of the Government’s efforts to reduce people’s exposure to a new variant of Covid-19, which is claimed to be more contagious. As Prime…

A youth British football manager was found to have misappropriated donations that he was originally meant to use to buy a new kit for Keyham Kolts football club. As the court heard, the 38-year-old Matthew Palin, who is a kids football manager, stole over £1,000 from the football club he worked for in order to pay for his compulsive gambling habits. The money was donated for him to buy a new kit. Mr Palin confessed to the police that he had yielded to temptation, while his legal representative explained to…