The Guardian News

Ladbrokes is being investigated by the Gambling Commission over an allegation that staff watched a gambling addict take out payday loans to fund hundreds of pounds of bets on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs). The claim, which comes as the government considers whether to slash the £100 maximum stake on the machines, drew...

Philip Inman’s article (Britain’s rising debt problem needs urgent attention, 25 September) not only highlights the limited role of the OBR in not questioning the Treasury’s assumptions about the future path of the economy while merely checking the calculations. It also points to a more important truth: that the...

Deputy leader Tom Watson accuses companies of targeting poor communities and vulnerable people Labour will force gambling companies to pay a levy to fund research and NHS treatment to help problem gamblers deal with their addiction. Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, said that if elected the party would “finally confront...

Offer to government is revealed as ministers prepare to publish review covering regulation of gambling adverts Betting firms and broadcasters have made an offer to the government to fund an £8m addiction awareness campaign, in a move Labour warned must not be a “stitch-up” to stave off tighter regulation...

The promise to ban football shirt sponsorship is a good start to tackling this crisis, but cross-party action to mitigate the suffering of addiction is urgently needed When Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson was challenged on Newsnight last week about his party’s role in liberalising gambling, he signalled a long-awaited shift...

The British gambling industry has ballooned in size over the past decade, thanks to the growth of online games and the liberalisation of gambling laws by Tony Blair’s government. The Gambling Act 2005, which came into force in 2007, opened the door to TV advertising for sports betting, online casinos and...

The gambling industry is using third-party companies to harvest people’s data, helping bookmakers and online casinos target people on low incomes and those who have stopped gambling, the Guardian can reveal. Traditional online gambling ads have become more expensive, which has encouraged betting firms to resort to alternative means...

People with online gambling problems spend an average of £98 a day, place up to 90 bets and are more likely to gamble in the middle of the night, according to a new report. That compares with just £14 among those not considered to be at risk, who typically...

As this newspaper has reported (Problem gambling ‘a risk to over 2m in UK’, 25 August), the Natcen report found evidence of an increase in addiction among those playing controversial fixed-odds betting terminals, which have been criticised for allowing betting shop customers to spend up to £100 every 20...

Gambling Commission report finds more than 2 million people are addicted to gambling or at risk of developing a problem. ‘The temptation is always there’: readers on the rise of problem gamblers in the UK More than 2 million people in the UK are either problem gamblers or at...

A China libertou um executivo de um casino australiano que tinha sido condenado por delitos relacionados com o jogo. Jason O’Connor, que dirigiu os programas VIP internacionais da Crown Resorts, foi condenado a 10 meses de prisão em Xangai, em junho. A ministra australiana dos Negócios Estrangeiros, Julie Bishop,...

Increased online revenues and dividend push bookmaker’s share prices up, even as profits fall due to string of wins for football teams. Bookmaker William Hill has reported a big increase in online sports betting in the UK over the past six months, despite feeling the absence of a major international football...

The Queensland government has rejected plans to build a $3bn casino on the Gold Coast’s Southport Spit. The premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, says community desire to preserve the parkland site for future generations and transport issues associated with the development had driven the Labor government to reject the plan. “This is a unique...

‘We want people to enjoy gambling but we want them to do it safely, we want them to be treated fairly,’ says the chief executive. ‘Far more willing to show her teeth than her predecessors were” is the first thing a betting industry source says when asked to assess...

Bet365, one of the internet’s biggest bookmakers, is facing legal action from a customer over its failure to transfer a £54,000 balance to her bank account despite repeated requests over a period of months. While refusing to release the backer’s winnings on a series of horse racing bets, Bet365...