I suspect there are few people who have never faced the morning, thinking ‘last night I drank far too much’… Fortunately, a dawn conclusion of this nature does not usually call for a letter of apology to the Prime Minister. However – and I am ‘groping’ for the correct words here – recent incidents have proved that in certain circumstances …
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David Clifton: Licensing Expert – All eyes focused on on gambling’s A-Factor
January 2019 famously saw the introduction of the gambling advertising ban in Italy, with forecasts of the disaster that would befall the industry if similar prohibitions spread across Europe. The following year a new Royal Decree on Commercial Communications imposing strict limitations on gambling advertising in Spain was approved by the European Commission. Only the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed its …
Read More »David Clifton: Licensing Expert – Musings on a pending White Paper
As I write this, the global gambling industry community has this week once more descended on London for the return of the ICE 2022 conference. Many of them may have thought that, by now, the potential future UK gambling regulatory landscape would already have been made clear, bearing in mind initial indications that the Government White Paper on the Gambling …
Read More »David Clifton: Thoughts on the APBGG Report on the competence & effectiveness of the UKGC
Back in September last year, the Parliamentary All Party Betting & Gaming Group (APBGG) launched its investigation into the competence and effectiveness of the Gambling Commission. Bearing in mind that the APBGG investigation followed on from heavy criticisms of the regulator by each of the National Audit Office, the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, the Gambling Related Harm All Party Parliamentary Group and the House of …
Read More »David Clifton: Licensing Expert – Those were the forecasts that were
It’s always interesting to look back at my industry forecasts of a year ago to see if I got anything right at all. So, why don’t you come with me back to my December 2020 article for SBC News entitled “Ten forecasts and a hope for 2021” so we can go through my ten forecasts of a year ago and …
Read More »David Clifton, Licensing Expert: Reflections on Safer Gambling Week
I don’t know about you, but I very much welcome the very considerably more open style of engagement with the outside world adopted by the Gambling Commission’s CEO in the time since Andrew Rhodes was appointed to that position in June this year. His public comments will not find favour with everyone. It would be highly surprising if they did. …
Read More »David Clifton, Licensing Expert: The waves are about to get rougher…
As we await the supposedly soon to be published White Paper arising from the UK Government’s current Review of the Gambling Act 2005, we can only guess what will be proposed in terms of its stated aim to achieve “an appropriate balance between consumer freedoms and choice on the one hand, and prevention of harm to vulnerable groups and wider …
Read More »David Clifton, Licensing Expert: The calm before the storm…
Perhaps it’s due to the House of Commons adjourning on 22nd July for the summer recess, but equally it could be down to the easing of travel restrictions opening the door to foreign holidays once more now that the (hopefully) final pandemic lockdown has ended. Come what may, I can’t help but feel that the ding-dong war of words between …
Read More »David Clifton, Licensing Expert: Gambling can’t hide from its spotlight
Since my last “Licensing Expert” article for SBC News, the stand-out issues in UK gambling regulatory terms have been (a) the circumstances giving rise to the UK Government’s 20 April announcement of an independent review into the collapse of Football Index and (b) the sudden unexpected departure of Neil McArthur from his position as Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission …
Read More »David Clifton, Licensing Expert: Vital Statistics – Measuring the extent of gambling reforms required in the UK
As the well-known saying goes, “there are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics”. It was wrongly attributed to the nineteenth century UK Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, but that’s not going to stop me from using it as the starting point for this monthly round-up of UK gambling law and regulation. Fast forward 150 years from Disraeli’s time …
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