A month ago, Gamesys, a leading international online gaming operator, was fined in the United Kingdom over AML and social responsibility violations. Now, Gambling with Lives, a charity set up by families bereaved by gambling, seeks to convince the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) to revoke the licenses of companies that commit serious violations.

Gambling with Lives launched a petition, asking the UKGC to be less benevolent to operators that violate its rules. Dubbed “Stop reckless gambling firms,” the petition urges stricter enforcement of the UK’s social responsibility rules since fines are easily paid by huge gambling companies.

Gambling with Lives argues that unregulated gambling can sometimes lead to suicides. As a result, fines that multibillion companies can easily pay are not a proportional punishment, the organization said. Citing recent statistics, the charity pointed out that a whopping 496 people in Britain take their lives because of gambling addiction every year.

Big Companies Will Never Change Unless Forced to

According to Gambling with Lives, big gambling operators earn billions of pounds a year, meaning that even fines in the realm of millions are easily payable. The charity said that, for many of these companies, fines are nothing more than a cost of business.

Because of this, multi-billion-pound gambling companies do not feel the need to change, the charity pointed out. Gambling with Lives cited Gamesys’ recent fine as an example, noting that the operator had promoted new games and promotions to a customer who had just lost £10,000.

These violations earned Gamesys a £6 million fine. However, its parent company, Bally’s, earns almost £2 billion a year.

Because of that, Gambling with Lives believes that operators should risk something more than a slap on the wrist.

The big gambling firms will never change their ways unless forced to. If they knew they could be shut down, they would be forced to behave better.

Gambling with Lives statement

Now, Gambling with Lives is seeking public support as it hopes to convince the UKGC to revoke the licenses of serious violators and help prevent gambling-related deaths in Britain.

The petition was launched yesterday and already has 1,117 of its target 2,000 signatures.

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Amid the fervent competition to secure licenses for New York City’s inaugural casinos, developers are undertaking unconventional strategies to garner local support, but this turns out to be a move sparking parental discontent.

This summer, a basketball camp held at Coney Island’s Kaiser Park was emblazoned with the logo of “The Coney”, a proposed casino project seeking to establish roots in the neighborhood, reported the New York Times. The basketball clinic, organized by Brooklyn USA Basketball, is just one example of the lengths to which casino operators are going to curry favor with local communities as they vie for coveted licenses.

While some parents decry the casinos for using their kids to advance a potentially detrimental agenda, others welcome the funding that enables enhanced sports programs and activities. The divisive issue has fueled heated debates on social media, bringing the ethics of casino-funded youth programs into the spotlight. The discussions have prompted deeper contemplation on the roles of gaming corporations within communities and the responsibilities they carry when engaging with the youth.

The controversy underlines the high stakes in the race for the three casino licenses in the New York City area. However, these battles extend beyond the boardrooms and into local communities, where concerns over the impact on children and ethics are in focus.

Silverstein and Greenwood Join the Race for New York’s Casino Licenses

Legal experts have noted that this grey area in advertising to minors continues to challenge states, despite measures in place to prevent casino operators from targeting young audiences. New York’s gaming regulators, for instance, have a pending rule proposal that would forbid marketing sports betting to minors, encompassing logos on clothing aimed at those under 21.

Besides The Coney, there are also other projects fighting for the coveted New York licenses. At the end of June, Silverstein Properties and Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment joined forces to vie for a commercial casino license in downstate New York. Their proposed “Avenir” casino hotel, situated in Manhattan’s far West Side, aims to tap into the area’s high demand for entertainment and gaming options. The collaboration faces tough competition from other casino operators, with factors like financial stability and project design influencing the regulatory evaluation process. The developers must also address community concerns, as seen in Coney Island where residents are protesting a Boardwalk casino bid due to crime and pollution fears.

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Daily Mail and Daily Express reported that the UK Government is planning to introduce a new levy on gambling companies to fund treatment programs for those addicted to gambling, with the proceeds being directed toward the National Health Service (NHS). 

Proposed New Levy to Prevent Firms from Exploiting Loopholes in Gambling Contributions

The proposed new levy is designed to create a standardized payment to prevent firms from exploiting loopholes to avoid making sufficient contributions. The Gambling Commission will be responsible for launching a consultation to decide how the levy should be tailored to different firms’ profits and revenues. This move comes following a record GBP19.2 million ($23.6 million) fine that was recently imposed on William Hill by the industry watchdog for failing to prevent customers from accruing unpayable debts. 

The NHS will not accept voluntary donations from gambling firms because it considers them a conflict of interest. The UK Government is expected to publish a gambling white paper soon, the most comprehensive review of betting laws in over 15 years, with the aim of ensuring that current regulations are fit for the digital age. 

The government wants to allow people the freedom to gamble responsibly while preventing harmful and addictive gambling, and it believes that a new levy will be a vital tool in achieving this aim. The levy will create long-term, reliable funding for treatment services, as many researchers do not accept voluntary funding from the gambling industry due to concerns over the independence of the research. 

Betting and Gaming Council Defends Gambling Industry Amidst Proposed Levy

The proposed levy could face opposition from some quarters, however. Reports suggest that Rishi Sunak, the current UK Prime Minister and former Chancellor, was previously against the idea of a levy. The suggestion is that he saw it as a new “nanny state” tax on business, and was concerned that it would harm the racing industry, given the existence of the Catterick racecourse in his constituency. There are also questions about whether the National Lottery will have to make similar contributions. 

The Betting and Gaming Council, which represents gambling firms, has said that the majority of people who gamble do so safely and responsibly and that the rate of problem gambling is very low, at just 0.2% of adults. The industry has committed to investing GBP100 million ($123 million) to tackle gambling-related harm, as well as making donations of GBP110 million ($135.4 million).

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