Tag Archives: Association of British Bookmakers

Rumoured RGA and ABB merger seeks to alter industry perceptions

SBC News Rumoured RGA and ABB merger seeks to alter industry perceptions

UK betting seeks to revamp its public image and wider perception as UK news sources report a potential merger between trade associations Remote Gambling Association (RGA) and the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB). A job post on executive search site Ellwood Atfield reports on the formation of ‘NEWCO’, “the working title for a new industry body representing the gambling sector, …

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Anti-FOBT report authors labelled ‘all tank and no think’

SBC News Anti-FOBT report authors labelled 'all tank and no think'

A much-trailed report into fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) from the right-leaning think tank ResPublica has been slammed for “parroting” the line taken by the report’s paid sponsors the Campaign for Fairer Gambling (CFG). The report published this week entitled ‘Wheel of Misfortune: the case for lowering the stakes on FOBTs’ called for the reduction of the maximum stake applicable for …

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Industry heads unite behind Responsible Gambling Week

SBC News Industry heads unite behind Responsible Gambling Week

Placing social responsibility at the forefront of the industry, the first ever ‘Responsible Gambling Week’ (RG Week – 12-18 October) has been met with great enthusiasm by sector stakeholders. Driven by the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling (IGRG), every vertical of the UK gambling industry (arcades, bingo clubs, bookmakers, casinos and digital) will take initiative in driving the message of …

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Timeline – How the fate of fobts became such a deep seated issue

SBC News Timeline - How the fate of fobts became such a deep seated issue

As the long awaited triennial review of gaming machines stakes and prizes looms, it’s seemingly becoming increasingly likely that the result will be a crippling clampdown on the maximum stakes on fixed-odds-betting-terminals (FOBTs). Since the introduction of the Gambling Act in 2005, the political maelstrom that has engulfed FOBTs has inevitably intensified the levels of tension, and decreased the levels …

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ABB comes to the defence of FOBTS

SBC News ABB comes to the defence of FOBTS

Talking to Paddy O’Connell on BBC Radio Four last Sunday (3 September), The Association of British Bookmakers CEO Malcolm George said that a ‘pan industry solution’ is required if Britain wants to solve problem gambling. George details that the ‘personal interaction’ and ‘face-to-face interaction’ that is utilised in betting shops from shop staff who are able to build a stronger connection …

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Bookmakers to deliver 325,000-strong petition of support

SBC News Bookmakers to deliver 325,000-strong petition of support

A petition signed by more than 325,000 betting shop staff and customers from across the country will be presented to 10 Downing Street at 11am this morning as the beleaguered betting industry fights back against its portrayal in the media. The petition, collected as part of the recent ‘Back Your Local Bookie’ campaign, calls on the Government to support an industry …

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ABB snubs ‘kangaroo court’ commons all-party meeting on UK gambling sector

SBC News ABB snubs ‘kangaroo court' commons all-party meeting on UK gambling sector

Tracey Crouch the UK Minister for Culture, Media & Sports has expressed her disappointment at industry body the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) failure to attend last week’s ‘Commons All Party Group on Fixed-odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs)’.   The Commons meeting was set-up to discuss current UK regulatory provisions for FOBTs and potential plans to further restrict TV advertising for …

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GamCare – Betting shops back initiative to help problem gamblers in Chinatown

SBC News GamCare - Betting shops back initiative to help problem gamblers in Chinatown

Betting shops in Chinatown are supporting an initiative by GamCare to offer multi-lingual counselling and treatment programmes for anyone encountering difficulty with their gambling. The service, which is provided by GamCare and ‘The Chinese National Healthy Living Centre’ (CNHLC), means confidential counselling services are provided by a team of qualified and experienced counsellors who speak the languages represented in the …

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Current Levy level unsustainable for LBOs

SBC News Current Levy level unsustainable for LBOs

Horseracing and the government has been warned that the current level of Horseracing Levy being paid by betting shops is unsustainable and will need to be lowered if the sport is going to thrive in betting shops. Speaking at the Association of British Bookmakers AGM in London yesterday, Paul Darling QC underlined the fact that betting shop operators are paying …

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