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, 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 …
Read More »UK Gambling Commission reports online growth amid tightening restrictions
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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »Psychiatrists call for ‘urgent ban’ on gambling advertising in sports
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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »Inside Edge: Why Allardyce has a ‘serious’ job on his hands
Rounding off the week with his Inside Edge analysis, Nick Haynes from Form Labs – a division of Bettorlogic – looks at how the festive period can ‘make or break’ a season, and why Sam Allardyce has his work cut out at West Brom. Who does the festive period suit best? A late Roberto Firmino winner at Anfield not only maintained …
Read More »Match momentum in esports – does it really exist?
2020 has been the year of esports. As fewer and fewer sports events could take place due to COVID-19 in 2020, esports matches continued to be played online. The betting industry has caught up. Where esports used to be a side note before, there are now entire betting portals dedicated just to esports. And no traditional bookmaker will now be …
Read More »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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