Responsible gambling officers will be introduced at gambling venues in New South Wales later this year to support people displaying gambling harm behaviour.

From July 1, Liquor & Gaming NSW has stated that venues in the Australian state with more than 20 gaming machines must have a responsible gambling officer on duty while poker machines are in operation.

These officers will be tasked with identifying people who are at risk of gambling harm or who are showing signs of concerning gambling behaviour, providing them with support information and services, including facilitating self-exclusion requests.

David Harris, Minister for Gaming and Racing, commented: “The NSW Government is committed to gambling reform, reducing gambling harm and stopping money laundering and criminal activity associated with poker machines.

“Harmful gambling not only impacts individuals but also their loved ones and the broader community. We know there is no single solution to address harm from gambling, which..

Kansspelautoriteit Chair Rene Jansen has warned operators regarding cashback bonuses, stating that “any bonus that is in any way linked to a loss is prohibited”.

Jansen’s message comes after the Dutch gaming authority released the results of market-wide research into cashback bonuses, where they stated that they will now be defined as ‘“a bonus based on loss” as “all forms of this type of bonus are in conflict with the Gambling Act”.

The KSA noted that bonuses where players receive part of their loss back as a bonus are not allowed in the Netherlands, as they “contribute to taking more risks and lowering the threshold for gambling”.

Following its investigation, the authority issued a formal warning to one licence holder for offering a cashback bonus, in addition to sending a letter to two other licence holders regarding bonuses “in which losses were compensated in some way other than through a cashback”.

In conclusion, the KSA determined that several bonus types are linked to losse..

GamCare has announced that the National Gambling Helpline has taken more calls and online chats to provide gambling support in 2023 than any other previous year.

Following its uptick in usage, Samantha Turnton, Head of Remote Support Services at GamCare, has described the helpline as an “invaluable” step for those looking for gambling support.

The helpline received 52,370 calls and online chats during the year, a 24 per cent increase year-over-year, with August 2023 becoming the helpline’s busiest month on record.

December 2023 saw a 39 per cent year-over-year uptick in comparison to the previous year, becoming the busiest Christmas period ever. There was an increase in calls from people concerned about someone else’s gambling during the holiday season, while others said they struggled to watch TV with their families due to the number of gambling advertisements.

In addition, on 117 calls and online chats to advisors, people stated that their gambling was related to financial press..

GambleAware has published a new scoping study which has revealed that some members of the LGBTQ+ community may be at an increased risk of gambling harm.

The study – ‘LGBTQ+ People and Gambling Harms: A Scoping Review’ – was commissioned to build an understanding of the lived experience of gambling harm amongst the LGBTQ+ community in Great Britain.

Researchers from the University of Brighton completed the study by analysing articles published between 2000 and 2023 on gambling harms in the LGBTQ+ community and its impact on people’s mental health, finances, relationships and employment.

Evidence on experiences of LGBTQ+ people accessing support services for gambling harms was also examined, as well as any barriers faced in doing so.

The study noted that “gay and bisexual men and young lesbian and bisexual women may be at increased risk and may experience greater harms associated with gambling”.

In addition, gay and bisexual men could be 3.4 times more likely than heterosexual men..

The UK Gambling Commission has reported a year-over-year increase in online total gross gambling yield in the third quarter of 2023, driven by slots and real event betting.

Publishing its operator data for Q3, the UKGC declared £1.3bn in GGY, a four per cent increase YoY thanks to the aforementioned increase in slots and real event betting GGY, while GGY in nearly all other verticals decreased. Q3’s figure is also a slight increase on Q2’s GGY of £1.2bn.

Data from online operators – approximately 80 per cent of the online gambling market – and licensed betting operators found on Britain’s high streets – around 85 per cent of the retail betting market – has now been collected by the UKGC covering the period from March 2020 to December 2023.

In this latest report, the commission has compared online and in-person betting from Q3 2023 (October to December) with the same period from the previous year.

The overall number of total bets and/or spins rose by nine per cent YoY to 24 billion..

GambleAware is seeking to fund a research project that will further develop an understanding of informal and self-directed tools and strategies for reducing, preventing or managing gambling harms in Great Britain.

The project will build upon the findings in the ‘Self-help strategies for reducing gambling harms: Scoping study’ published in August 2023, which highlighted that people experiencing gambling harm were likely to use self-guided options to reduce the harms they were experiencing, but there is a “lack of knowledge on the most effective types of strategies or modes of delivery for gambling harm reduction”.

In addition, the August 2023 research found a “significant gap in the evidence regarding the experience and preferences of people who engage in self-directed change, particularly those from marginalised groups”.

Granting £297,900 in funds over 18 months, GambleAware is using the term ‘self-directed tools and strategies’ in this research project to include “any self-directe..

Gamban has secured a partnership with Svenska Spel to provide the Swedish gambling operator’s players with its blocking software.

The agreement will provide free blocking software to Svenska Spel’s customers who wish to stop gambling, offering those individuals who have chosen to self-exclude a free Gamban license and access to more support via the Gamban app.

According to a recent report by Spelinspektionen, the Swedish gambling authority, awareness of the country’s self-exclusion service Spelpaus has grown over the past year.

Spelinspektionen’s annual report on the gambling habits of the Swedish public revealed that 65 per cent of respondents are aware of the Spelpaus self-exclusion service, up on 2022’s figure of 62 per cent and 2021’s 59 per cent, with four per cent of that 65 stating they have used it.

Daniel Harre, Responsible Gambling Specialist, Svenska Spel AB, commented: “We’re convinced that if someone is suffering from their gambling they should not gamble at all.

“The..