British media tycoon Richard Desmond will launch a legal challenge against the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) seeking multi-million-pound damages over how the regulator handled the tender of the Fourth National Lottery Licence Competition. Desmond, the Founder and Chairman of the UK media group Northern & Shell, alleges that the Gambling Commission made “numerous manifest errors” during the bidding process. As …
Read More »
Anna Bateson, Chief Executive of the Guardian Media Group, has declared that the news publisher will no longer accept any form of gambling advertising (except lotteries) across its media platforms. The decision was announced via an open editorial article written by Bateson, titled, “All bets are off: Why the Guardian has rejected gambling advertising.” Bateson cited that for a number …
Read More »
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has defended its relationship with GambleAware by restating that its members have ‘no say’ on how research, education and treatment (RET) projects/initiatives are funded. On Saturday, the trade body published a Twitter thread denying The Guardian’s report that it wanted to redirect “a quarter of funds” donated to GambleAware to “projects chosen by bet365, …
Read More »
Conservative minister Philip Davies (MP for Shipley) has hit back at ‘inaccurate reporting’ by The Guardian which disclosed his paid work for GVC Holdings. On Wednesday 11 November, the Guardian published a report revealing that Davies and fellow Tory minister Laurence Robertson (MP for Tewkesbury) had taken on consultancy jobs advising betting and gaming organisations. Citing Parliamentary disclosures, the Guardian …
Read More »
Regulus Partners begins the week by dissecting the media storm surrounding an eventful ICE2020 Conference. Despite the negative headlines, the industry can take comfort in its balanced reaction to media hysterics… In a week when the Guardians of Righteous Justice descended upon the ICE2020 expo in search of indignation, Signor Flavio Grasselli delivered a particularly memorable riposte to the brand …
Read More »As the UK government enforces its £2 FOBTs stake reduction beginning this April, betting leadership is reported to be reviewing all options with regards to the industry’s presence on the high street. During the course of 2018, all major UK high street incumbents – Ladbrokes/Coral, William Hill, Betfred and Paddy Power established special units assessing the potential impacts of FOBTs …
Read More »
The amount spent by UK gambling operators on TV advertising campaigns is set to reach a record £123.4 million in 2016 if trends continue from the first five months of the year. The figure, compiled by media analysts Nielsen for the Guardian, would represent a 52% increase from 2012. However, it is likely that this estimated figure may even be …
Read More »
Gala Coral have been ordered by the gambling regulator to pay out nearly £880,000 for taking £846,000 from a problem gambler who was using the proceeds of theft to feed his habit. The perpetrator of the crime, a customer between 2012 and 2015, has been jailed for three years, and Gala Coral have promised to ‘take steps to improve its …
Read More »
Richard Moross has advised the Ladbrokes’ Board that he will be stepping down as a non-executive director at this year’s AGM on May 5th 2016, and will cease to be a director from that date forwards. Mr Moross joined the board in May 2012, but will not seek re-election at the Annual Meeting to be held next week. He has decided …
Read More »
SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry