A Northern Irish government department has confirmed that it will launch a public consultation on the creation of a new gambling policy and the effects of problem gambling. The consultation will form the basis of the advice which will be given to the next minister for communities, who will form a new gambling policy once the Northern Ireland Executive and …
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Releasing its annual report and accounts for 2018, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA)’s chief executive Nick Rust explained that the ‘the BHA’s mandate to regulate independently on equine welfare was regularly questioned’ as it has been ‘challenged on multiple fronts.’ The report, released yesterday, includes a foreword from both Rust and new BHA chair Annamarie Phelps. Rust explained that while …
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Issuing its response to the announcement that William Hill could be closing 700 of its betting shops which the betting shop workers union, Community, has described as ‘devastating.’ As announced yesterday, William Hill confirmed that it is taking part in a consultation with its retail counterparts over the possibility that the bookmaker could be shutting a large portion of its shops, with …
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Ahead of the implementation of the £2 maximum stakes for Fixed Odds Betting Terminals, UK bookmakers have opted to trial the new stake limit to assess the impact it will have on the industry. Betting shops in Birmingham are testing out the new stake limit ahead of the legislative change on 1 April, following the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) …
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After a tumultuous 2018, what does 2019 hold in store for the UK sports betting sector? I have dusted down my crystal ball. It may be a bit cloudy in areas, with perhaps the odd crack beginning to show in parts, but here is my best bet on what the regulatory future may bring. On the plus side, I do …
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As the year draws to a close and the betting sector prepares for an exciting 2019, SBC is looking back on 12 months that was filled with innovation, regulation and an abundance of landmark moments. The Gambling Commission released its biannual report for September 2018, detailing the latest statistics in the gambling industry from throughout the year. The report covered …
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Regulus Partners, the strategic consultancy focused on international gambling and related industries, takes a look at some key developments for the gambling industry in its ‘Winning Post’ column. UK: Politics – What did you do during the Brexit? The folly of the British gambling lobby was laid painfully bare in Westminster this week. Against the backdrop of the United Kingdom’s …
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Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) have returned to the news once again, after a first-tier tribunal found in the favour of bookmakers, which could potentially see them rake in a billion pounds in paid VAT from 2005 to 2013. The original decision by the tribunal deemed that Category B2 games should have been VAT exempt from 2005 to 2013, after …
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Reforms implemented by the government to the levy system have generated positive returns for racing stakeholders, as the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) published The Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) annual report & accounts 2017-18. Coming into force in April of this year, the new levy forced all UK licensed bookies, whether that be land-based or …
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The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced that it has cleared the proposed GVC takeover of Ladbrokes Coral, following a merger investigation. Revealing the case is not to be referred for a more in-depth investigation, the CMA found that “the merger does not give rise to competition concerns.” Addressing arguments that the merge could create a “a substantial lessening …
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