Author: James Gibson

The UK continues to have a relatively relaxed attitude towards gambling. This is despite people continuing to suffer from addiction and other gambling-related problems. So long as there are problems, there will always be organisations calling for more to be done to help vulnerable people negatively affected by gambling. One such organization is GRH APPG, or the Gambling Related Harm All-Party Parliamentary Group. This is a collective of people from across Parliament who have a common goal to reduce the number of people who suffer as a result of gambling. Parity Between Offline & Online Limits Called for Early in…

The region of Macau, known to many as ‘the Las Vegas of Asia’ is the world’s biggest land-based gambling destination. However, despite attracting hordes of keen gamblers from throughout Asia and beyond, it can still experience dips in revenue just like anywhere else. The Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau recently released figures showing just how much the region had generated. In October 2019, Macau’s gross gaming revenue was MOP26.44 billion, or $3.28 billion – this is a 3% fall compared with the figure for October 2018. Year-on-Year Decline The fact that Macau experienced a year-on-year decline in gross gaming revenue…

Employees at Melbourne’s Crown Casino were planning to go ahead with a strike over work stability and conditions, as well as pay. However, this strike was cancelled after the casino’s operator stepped in and presented workers with a new, more desirable offer. The workers planning to strike are part of the union United Voice. Their initial plans were to carry out two hours of strikes on the evening of Friday 1 November. This would have coincided with the Melbourne Cup Carnival, which is one of the peak times of the year for the casino. Talks between the union and the…

Loot boxes are used by a growing number of games. The idea behind them is simple. You purchase one with in-game currency, which can be earned by completing various tasks or purchased for real money. Once obtained, a loot box then reveals a randomly determined assortment of items – these can be anything from avatar customization items that are purely cosmetic, to useful tools or pieces of equipment that can actually help players advance in the game. Some players take their time to earn in-game currency to pay for loot boxes, so they’re essentially getting these boxes without spending any…

Australia has long had a rather relaxed approach to gambling. However, with this comes an increased risk of problems arising, namely addiction. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is one of several federal territories of Australia and contains the country’s capital, Canberra. It’s recently been estimated that as many as 14% of people living in this part of the country have been affected negatively by gambling in one way or another. 2019 ACT Gambling Survey The Centre for Gambling Research at the Australian National University recently carried out the 2019 ACT Gambling Survey. This survey is carried out every five years.…

A Ladbrokes customer, Tony Parente, was addicted to gambling. In order to fund his addiction, he started stealing from various people. By the time the authorities had caught up with him, he had stolen a sum of around £1 million from five people. The victims of Parente’s theft went on to lodge complaints with Ladbrokes and request reimbursement. It was agreed that Ladbrokes would pay a total of £975,000 to the five victims. However, they would only receive the compensation if they signed a non-disclosure agreement, as was found out by The Guardian. By doing so, the victims agreed not…

Evolution Gaming has posted some very positive and encouraging earnings for Q3 2019. The company, which specializes in developing live dealer games, generated a total of €94.7m in revenue during the third quarter – this figure is a rather impressive 47% increase compared with the Q3 results for 2018. The company’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) were €48.5 million, a year-on-year increase of 73%. Furthermore, the overall profit for the third quarter was €39.8 million, which is an increase of 87% compared with 2018’s third quarter overall profit. The operating revenue so far this year stands at…

The Camelot Group has stopped selling its popular £10 scratchcards. The company, which operates the UK National Lottery, has made this move in an ongoing effort to tackle gambling addiction. Retailers were instructed to stop selling the cards and remove them from displays from 27 September onwards. Any cards that remain unsold after this date are to be returned to Camelot. A spokesperson for the company said the following on the scratchcard’s withdrawal: ‘Our decision to stop selling £10 scratchcards was based on player protection considerations. A part of the ongoing work we carry out is to ensure all of…

The UK Gambling Commission recently announced the results of its Young People and Gambling Survey 2019. According to the survey, which was carried out by Ipsos MORI, among the UK’s children aged 11 to 16 inclusive, 11% had spent their own money on gambling in the previous seven days. This figure is down from the 14% that the 2018 survey produced. The Executive Director of the UK Gambling Commission, Tim Miller, had the following to say on the survey: This report demonstrates that children and young people’s interaction with gambling or gambling behaviours comes from three sources – gambling that…