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Betting shops close their doors in England’s tier 4 areas

betting shops

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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GambleAware refreshes its website for 2021

GambleAware

GambleAware, the UK’s commissioning charity for gambling harm prevention, treatment support and research, has relaunched its begambleaware.org website. The charity has chosen to merge the content of its corporate website about.begambleaware.org with its public-facing domain begambleaware.org, thereby developing a central hub for all users and partners. “By combining the content on one site we hope to make it easier for all …

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UK Gambling Commission reports online growth amid tightening restrictions

Close up of online mobile betting

The UK Gambling Commission has reported significant growth in the online market, after releasing new figures for the period between the months of March and October. Statistics demonstrated how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected betting trends in Britain, encompassing both online and in-person gambling activity, with data provided by Licensed Betting Operators (LBOs) from Britain’s high streets. The online market …

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Sportech terminates talks with Standard General

SBC News Sportech terminates talks with Standard General

The Board of Sportech Plc has confirmed that talks with US investment firm Standard General have been terminated. This announcement follows Standard General’s revelation this morning that it did not intend to make an offer for the firm. Wagering and racing systems provider Sportech Plc revealed at the start of December that it had entered into a conditional agreement to …

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Bratislava bans gambling for second time in three years

SBC News Bratislava bans gambling for second time in three years

City councillors in Slovakia’s capital Bratislava voted to ban gambling on 17 December following an anti-gambling petition, with the law set to come into effect on 1 January, 2021. According to The Slovak Spectator, of the council’s 40 members 39 voted in favour of the ban whilst one abstained. Other cities are also looking at introducing their own laws, with …

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Psychiatrists call for ‘urgent ban’ on gambling advertising in sports

An Ireland flag

The College of Psychiatrists of Ireland has declared problem gambling a ‘public health crisis’ after releasing its Gambling Disorder Position Paper this week, urging the government to issue a blanket ban on betting advertisements in the country. The paper, developed by the Faculty of Addictions Psychiatry of the College, points towards the national lockdown as a contributing factor in the …

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EGBA raises questions over Finland’s Veikkaus monopoly

SBC News EGBA raises questions over Finland's Veikkaus monopoly

Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), has raised doubts over the effectiveness of Finland’s gambling monopoly, Veikkaus. Writing for the EGBA, Haijer called on the Finnish government to ‘fix’ its gambling policy, highlighting that the maintenance of this monopoly offers very little to both the players and the government. He explained that the current monopoly system …

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Flutter to appeal Kentucky Court’s $870m TSG ruling

SBC News Flutter to appeal Kentucky Court’s $870m TSG ruling

Flutter Entertainment is expected to appeal a $870 million ruling made by the Kentucky Supreme Court, having argued that the litigation ran contrary to modern US legal precedent. The case, which was reversed in late 2018, was initially filed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 2010, approximately four years prior to The Stars Group’s (TSG) acquisition of the PokerStars business.  …

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