12 months ago, 2019 ended with a promise within the Queen’s Speech from the then newly elected Conservative Party government to “carry out a Review of the Gambling Act”. Now, 2020 is ending with that promise being fulfilled. On 8 December 2020, the Gambling Act Review was launched, with a Call for Evidence that runs until midnight on 31 March …
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The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has warned gamblers of the risks associated with unlicensed, black market betting sites after recent data showed that British punters had visited unregulated sites 27 million times in a year. Data from PWC has revealed that 200,000 customers used an unlicensed gambling operator over a 12 month period between 2018 and 2019, with approximately …
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Betting shops in London, the South East and East of England have been forced to close their doors after the regions were placed under new tier four restrictions. The new measures, which were introduced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson over the weekend, will mean that all non-essential retail – including betting shops – must close for the foreseeable future. The …
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After the DCMS released its policy document, which aims to bring clarity to UK gambling about what the 2005 Gambling Act review will entail, industry experts began examining the terms of reference to assess how these areas may affect their respective operations. Speaking on the ‘Unpicking the Terms of the UK Gambling Act Review‘ webinar, hosted by SBC, Brigid Simmonds, …
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Hundreds of Scottish betting shops are set to reopen their doors, a move which has been welcomed by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC). Since the strictest Level 4 COVID-19 restrictions were imposed by the Scottish government three weeks ago, approximately 400 betting shops – half of Scotland’s total – were told to close their doors. The decision to move …
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Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM) will deliver its education and support programme across Northern Ireland with the support of GamCare. The new initiative will primarily focus on safeguarding future generations from gambling and gaming related harms, building on the initiative which YGAM – with the backing of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) – has previously rolled out …
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As the gambling industry wakes up to the announcement that the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will be launching its review into the 2005 Gambling Act, the news has been largely welcomed by various different stakeholders from across the sector. The review, which is expected to result in the biggest reform of UK gambling laws since the …
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Betting shops have been given the green light to reopen their doors in tier three areas in England once the current national lockdown restrictions are eased. Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed the move as he set out details of how England will come out of the national lockdown from 3 December. The announcement has been welcomed by the Betting and …
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Nick Rust, CEO of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), has called for the government to reopen betting shops once the current lockdown restrictions are eased, stating that there is ‘no evidence’ that betting shops have contributed to the spread of the virus. From 2 December, England is expected to return to a tiered system of coronavirus restrictions. However, bookmakers have …
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Casinos and betting shops across England have offered to voluntarily introduce tighter coronavirus restrictions in order to be allowed to reopen in Tier Three areas once the current lockdown ends. Michael Dugher, CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), made a ‘direct plea’ to Cabinet ministers Michael Gove and Matt Hancock, stating that venues ‘will go even further’ to …
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