Gambling issues may have been overshadowed by HS2, the smoking age, immigration, trans rights and Penny Mordaunt’s impression of the King of Sparta, but the industry did get a mention at the Conservative Party conference.

The industry got more than a mention in fact, as it was actually the subject of a panel on Day Three of the conference titled “The Gambling White Paper: Implications for Treatment’. As the title suggests, the panel examined the Gambling Act review White Paper, one of the 2019 election pledges of the Conservative Party.

After being promised four years ago and commencing two years ago, and being overseen by no less than nine Ministers – both Secretaries of State and Parliamentary Undersecretaries – the White Paper was finally published in April, with a key and highly-anticipated recommendation being a mandatory research, education and treatment (RET) levy.

Speaking on the panel in Manchester this week, Dr Jane Rigbye, CEO of Ygam, asserted to assembled MPs and journa..

The government of Ireland has been warned “that there is far more problem gambling in the Republic than previously believed.”

The assessment comes from independent public policy research agency the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) which published its “Measures of Problem Gambling in Ireland” report.

The ESRI study was commissioned by the Implementation Team supporting the establishment of the new Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland.

Applying a new ‘anonymous online survey’, the ESRI outlines its best assumption that 1-in-30 Irish adults has a problem with gambling. The figure is 10X higher than the 2019 estimate guiding the Irish government’s current agenda on gambling harms.

The ESRI survey was conducted in August 2023 with a user sample of 2,850 adults aged 18 and over, in which researchers underlined that they had carried out ‘multiple validity checks’ in comparison to previous studies measuring harms.

As such, the “validity of the 1-in-30 figure is supported..

Gluecksspiel (GGL), the Federal Gambling Authority of Germany has launched a new ‘public information campaign’ on online gambling safeguards.

The initiative was announced this week as the headline directive of Germany’s first ‘nationwide action day against gambling addiction’ hosted on 27 September.

The authority detailed: “GGL is supporting this annual day of action by providing an information brochure in which all player protection measures of the GlüNeuRStv 2021 are presented in a consumer-friendly and clear manner.”

Coordinated by the GGL, the campaign will see Germany’s 16 Federal Bundeslander promote public awareness of player protection measures under the State Treaty on Gambling (GlüNeuRStv) of 2021.

GGL Co-Chief Executive, Ronald Benter, stated: “ It is important to us that the general public is informed about the legal regulations and that players can better assess which offers are illegal and which are legal, i.e. that they adhere to the strict rules for player protect..

The consumer protection challenges of loot boxes remain present in EA Sports’ rebranded flagship football title, EPIC Risk Management has asserted.

EA Sports FC 24 is the new incarnation of the long-running FIFA franchise, rebranded after EA Sports failed to agree terms with the global governing body of association football.

The presence of loot boxes in video games has been a controversial topic for many years, although the debate around these features intensified – as did many other discussions – during the Gambling Act review.

Loot boxes in FIFA have been a particular focus of this debate, although the products are present in other titles such as CS:GO, a popular esports – and by extension esports betting – product.

EPIC noted that FIFA/FC 24 loot boxes are prominent in the Ultimate Team segment of the game in the form of ‘player packs’, where gamers purchase a pack containing unknown players based on the chance some high-ranked footballers could be included.

The gambling harm ..

Flutter Entertainment has reinitiated its ‘Cash4Clubs’ commitment in support of amateur sports clubs and organisations across the UK.

Kicking-off the Cash4Clubs 2023 programme, Flutter has pledged to donate £200,000 to community clubs and charities over the rest of the year.

Cash4Clubs will allow cash-strapped sporting organisations across the UK and Ireland to bid for direct grants of £2,000 a time to improve their facilities, purchase new equipment, help fund coaching programmes, or to invest in the sustainability of their club.

Since Cash4Clubs was launched in 2008, Flutter has invested £5m into community sports by Flutter through its home brands of Betfair, Paddy Power, Sky Betting & Gaming and Tombola.

Ian Brown, Flutter UKI chief executive, said: “We want to help small sporting clubs to play an even bigger role in their communities so I’m delighted that Cash4Clubs is back.

“Research shows that for every £1 invested in sports, an average of £6 is returned in social value. We..

Danish retail bettors will be required to use player ID cards in order to place a wager from 1 October 2023 as new government-backed rules come into effect.

The design and implementation of the new player IDs is the prerogative of licensed Danish operators. Betting firms can decide whether ID cards are physical or virtual, such as incorporated into company apps.

However, all player IDs must be linked to the gambling account held by the player in which winnings are paid out. An omnichannel requirement, this may require existing retail customers who do not have online accounts to open one.

The stated purpose of the IDs is to bolster consumer protection and to reduce the risk of under-18s from entering betting shops. The cards allow players to set deposit limits, and it is hoped digital record keeping will prevent loss of player winnings if a physical betting slip is misplaced.

Additionally, Danish players who are registered with the ROFUS self-exclusion scheme after 1 October, by whi..