In Pursuit of Balance – Stuck in the Middle with Who? As any fish on a bicycle will tell you, balance is a tricky thing. In matters of gambling policy, equilibrium at times seems like a hopeless dream as debate see-saws in relation to (often myopic) vested...
Responsible Gambling at the World Cup – This Time More Than Any Other Time…We’ll Get it Right? “Own goal – noun” “1. - (in soccer) a goal scored when a player inadvertently strikes or deflects the ball into their own team's goal. 1.1British informal An act that unintentionally...
US: post PASPA – what does it mean for European operators? Tomorrow CMS is hosting a webinar to discuss what the PASPA overturn means for European operators. Judging from the flurry of activity over the last three weeks (yes, it has only been that long), the...
UK: LBOs – is it terminal or can SSBTs be the answer? We have written extensively on the potentially existential risk posed to ‘traditional’ (read all) LBOs by the DCMS Review, especially within the context of profit disruption and the need for a much more developed...
“This is the end, beautiful friend; this is the end, my only friend, the end; of our elaborate plans, the end; of everything that stands, the end.” The End, The Doors In September 2015, Matthew Hill, then of the Gambling Commission imparted this advice to the industry...
“Some things in life are bad, they can really make you mad; others just make you want to swear and curse…. There are some pretty good reasons to take a glass half full view of betting and gaming in Great Britain these days – high profile...
I have come to the view that what gambling needs right now is more discrimination. This may seem an odd statement to make at a time when gender diversity is a key theme of gambling policy discourse so perhaps I should be more precise. I believe...
“Maybe then I’ll fade away and not have to face the facts; it’s not easy facing up when your whole world is black.” Mick Jagger, Paint it Black For every action, we are told there is an equal and opposite reaction. After years of light-touch regulation of...
The Horseracing Bettors Forum, an independent body set up with the BHA to highlight issues relating to betting customers, has released a 10-point “Betting Charter”. The key points include: The need for “advanced protection of punters’ funds” The need to “deal appropriately with problem gambling” ...
“Not the perfect script” The boos rang around the London Stadium as twice-banned Justin Gatlin spoilt Usain Bolt’s farewell party, and the question of (dis)trust in sport once again became a focus of attention. The cries of condemnation came loud and clear from the public, other...