The office of new UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed the appointment of Nicky Morgan MP for Loughborough as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). DCMS the government department which oversees the regulatory development, implementation and oversight of gambling laws formed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) changes leader for the fourth time in three …
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Industry strategic consultancy Regulus Partners reviews a week of conflict and consequences for UK betting incumbents adjusting to new FOBTs and social responsibility realities. _______________________ Last week saw optically conflicting news coming from the GB LBO sector as to the impact of the B2 ban (primarily) on likely shop closures. First, William Hill guided that around 700 shops (30% of …
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Addressing the House of Commons this afternoon, Jeremy Wright – UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport – said that the government is still reviewing the option of introducing a ‘mandatory levy’ to help national health stakeholders raise funds and resources for tackling problem gambling harms. Wright has acknowledged the ‘commitment of increased funding’ pledged this morning by leading …
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The governances of bet365, William Hill Plc, Flutter Entertainment, Sky Bet and GVC Holdings have pledged to the UK government that they will commit to increasing ‘voluntary contributions to 1% of gross-gaming-yield revenues’ – helping raise funds for UK problem gambling addiction, treatment and research initiatives. This morning the BBC reports that the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has …
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The UK Labour Party has emphasised that online casinos which received licences after 2014 should have to reapply for operating licences after it was found by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) that over one third of operators were asked to improve their standards. The party’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, has penned a letter to both the UKGC CEO Neil McArthur and Jeremy …
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Industry strategic consultancy Regulus Partners reflects on another week of UK and European setbacks for gambling incumbents. Despite broader regulatory frameworks in-place, political relationships appear more complicated than ever before… ___________ Sweden: online regulation – losing the war… Most online gambling operators that comment on their regulatory strategy or policy tend to state that they favour growing domestically regulated markets …
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Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright has hit back at bookmakers who have supposedly undermined the restraints imposed on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs), describing the actions as “disgraceful” in a recent Parliamentary session. The new restrictions on the terminals came into play on 1 April. Earlier in the month, however, The Guardian accused Paddy Power and Betfred of trying to circumvent …
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Working with the Home Office, The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sports (DCMS) has today published it’s joint ‘Online Harms White Paper’ – outlining the UK government’s intent on better monitoring and regulating all UK digital enterprises. Propositioned last May, the UK government intends to put forward a ‘duty of care mandate’ for all technology/digital incumbents ensuring consumer safety …
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From today (Monday 1 April), UK gambling will enforce its £2 stake limit on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs – B2 Machines). Neil McArthur, Chief Executive of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), has written to betting leadership, reminding all stakeholders of their responsibilities in ensuring consumers are protected. The UKGC Chief Executive, warns leadership that safer gambling enforcement will be …
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The Gambling Commission has released a new set of rules, ensuring that operators implement a new wave of age verifications checks “to make gambling safer and fairer”. Following an open consultation, and to further guard against the risk of children gambling, new rules mean operators must verify customer age before they can either deposit funds into an account or gamble with …
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