James Browne, the Irish minister tasked with revamping the industry, says gambling harm must be addressed. In an interview with The Irish Sun, Browne slammed the scaremongering accusations that the new rules will land people in jail over betting tweets.

Thanks to his experience as a barrister Browne was tasked to regulate Ireland’s gambling industry by Tanaiste Micheal Martin himself. Many of Ireland’s gambling laws are almost a century old, sparking the need for urgent changes. However, Browne’s proposals have aggravated operators, sparking claims that the new regulations would devastate the horse racing industry.

In his interview with the Irish news outlet, Brown defended his vision for Ireland’s gambling sector, emphasizing the dangers of gambling harm. He said that he has personally known gambling addicts and believes that the Irish society doesn’t take the matter as seriously as it should. He reminded the public that the issue is very serious and that everyone is at risk.

Browne pointed out that, unlike other types of addiction, gambling addiction can be invisible to a person’s loved ones, which makes it very dangerous. He reiterated the importance of protecting local consumers in light of a recent study that showed there are approximately 130,000 problem players in the country.

Because of that, Browne and the Irish regulator seek to introduce new fines and possible jail sentences for operators and executives that violate Ireland’s safer gambling rules. In addition, the new regulations would ban betting ads from airing before 9 pm and will prohibit enticing offers such as free bets.

However, these measures do not sit well with the industry.

Browne Slammed the Scaremongering That Is Going on

In his interview with The Irish Sun, Browne said that the new measures are impeded by “extreme intensive lobbying.” Racing TV and At The Races, on the other hand, recently expressed their concerns, saying that the advertising ban may force them to exit the Irish market.

Racing TV, for example, said that the ban may cost it EUR 2 million. Browne, however, said that the broadcaster is yet to provide any evidence of that. He added:

Even if you accept the €2m — which is questionable — that’s a tiny fraction of a contract worth hundreds of millions of euros and a contract that was entered into in the face of Government policy.

James Browne

Browne added that the new policy will not change what types of betting are permitted or what events customers can wager on. As a result, broadcasting should not be as impacted as Racing TV claims, he concluded.

Browne also slammed recent claims that people could be jailed for social media posts about bets. He called this “scaremongering” and confirmed that people will not face charges for retweeting odds.

Finally, the Minister refuted the claims that the new public health measures would devastate the racing sector, saying that horse racing companies will likely just revert to sponsors that are not gambling companies.

Despite that, Browne conceded that the legislation would still need certain tweaks before it is ready to be signed into law. Browne confirmed that his team is working on amendments that address a problematic measure that would have introduced betting limits of EUR 10 for games with fixed odds, effectively hurting the poker sector.

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The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) announced that its registrar has handed a Notice of Monetary Penalty of CAD 100,000 (around $74,300 in USD) to Apollo Entertainment. According to the commission, the operator has breached its responsible gambling responsibilities.

The AGCO listed a number of reasons for the measure. The regulator explained that Apollo Entertainment violated a number of rules outlined in the registrar’s Standards for Internet gaming.

As reported by the commission, Apollo Entertainment allegedly failed to conduct the required intervention with high-risk players. The authority noted that one of its clients had lost more than $2 million Canadian dollars without prompting intervention from the operator.

In addition to that, Apollo Entertainment did not implement an adequate voluntary self-exclusion scheme for its customers. Furthermore, the operator lacked sufficient tools to allow players to set financial and time-based gambling limits and moderate their gambling behavior.

To make matters worse, Apollo Entertainment also failed to communicate the importance of safer gambling to its employees.

The AGCO noted that the alleged breaches include but “are not limited to” the aforementioned violations.

The AGCO also added that Apollo Entertainment can appeal the measure to the License Appeal Tribunal, a body independent from the AGCO.

In June, the regulator also issued fines to Fitzdares and BV Gaming, two companies that violated its responsible gambling standards. The AGCO’s regulatory framework is designed with the modern iGaming sector in mind and inspired by the latest regulatory measures in notable global markets.

Apollo Will Do Better

While the AGCO identified multiple failings, it acknowledged Apollo Entertainment’s desire to do better. According to the regulator, the operator has been collaborative with the process and is already taking significant steps to bolster its safer gambling capabilities.

AGCO’s registrar and chief executive officer, Tom Mungham, released a statement on the matter, highlighting the commission’s commitment to providing Ontarian players with safe and healthy gambling products.

Because of that, Mungham said, all licensed companies must work hard to protect their players from harm.

All registered operators have an obligation to proactively monitor patron play for signs of high-risk gambling, and must take appropriate actions to intervene and reduce the potential for gambling-related harm.
Tom Mungham, CEO & registrar, AGCO

Last month, the AGCO strengthened its team with the appointment of a new chairman. The one up to the task was the experienced Dave Forestell.

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The conflict between Las Vegas Sands and Hofstra University continues. More than a month after submitting an open letter concerning the proposed construction of Sands casino resort at the Nassau Coliseum site in New York, the university urged local lawmakers to block the construction.

As reported by nypost.com, Hofstra’s president, Susan Poser, believes that the casino will hurt the local community. In addition, she says that the Nassau Hub is simply not an appropriate place for an integrated resort as it may spark intense traffic, crime, pollution and gambling problems in the area.

Poser also noted that the Nassau Hub has many students who are considered to be a demographic that is vulnerable to gambling harm. Considering that the planned casino will be close to Hofstra University, Nassau Community College and Kellenberg Memorial High School. In addition, there are other learning establishments in the vicinity.

As a professional educator, I entreat you to weigh the risks to our youth posed by placing a casino in the heart of a local university community and near many other schools with students ranging from preschool through high school.

Susan Poser, president, Hofstra University

Not Worth It in the Long Term, Poser Says

In addition to the dangers the casino will pose to this cluster of learning establishments, it will also be a problem for the area and the nearby Uniondale, Hempstead and Roosevelt, which are predominantly minority and lower-income neighborhoods.

People from poorer areas tend to be more vulnerable to crime, multiple studies suggest. Furthermore, the casino vicinity will likely see a boom in crime and drug distribution.

Instead of building a casino, Poser proposes establishing a tech and life sciences hub. She noted that she doubts the potential Nassau property will be beneficial in the long term, although she conceded that there might be short-term economic gains.

Poser also scrutinized Sands’ intentions to return to the US market after selling its Las Vegas properties and focusing on Asia.

Supporters Refuted Hofstra’s Claims

Sharing his thoughts on Poser’s points, Nassau Country executive Bruce Blakeman said promised the Nassau County Police will be paid by Sands to protect the area from crime. He noted that the venue will be a luxurious entertainment venue rather than a run-down 70s casino.

Las Vegas Sands, meanwhile, said that even if Hofstra University does not approve of its integrated resort plans, there are plenty of organizations, including other learning establishments, that support the development.

Even if Sands secures the community’s backing, it is yet to officially receive a license in the state. New York is expected to hand three licenses to casino operators.

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ABC reported that Victor Dominello, a senior Liberal minister from New South Wales, has spoken out about the power and impact of ClubsNSW, an influential gambling lobby group that he claims forced him out of his portfolio. 

Dominello Slams ClubsNSW as the ‘Gun Lobby’ of Australia’s Gambling Industry

In an interview for ABC’s Four Corners, Dominello accused the group of being like “the equivalent of the gun lobby in the United States“. The not-for-profit lobby group represents over 1,000 registered clubs across the state, which collectively own and operate more than 64,000 poker machines. 

ClubsNSW has defeated previous attempts at gambling reform and is currently facing its greatest test yet at the NSW election where the introduction of mandatory cashless gambling for poker machines is a central election issue. 

Dominello was responsible for gambling policy when he floated the introduction of a mandatory cashless gambling card for all poker machines in the state in 2020, a reform aimed at addressing problem gambling. It was strongly opposed by ClubsNSW, which claimed it would cost 9,000 jobs and devastate clubs by slashing their revenue by up to 30%. 

Dominello said that ClubsNSW’s view was extremely strident against it, and they showed no willingness to compromise. The clubs’ message found a receptive audience in Dominello’s Coalition colleagues, the Nationals, who feared the reforms would damage clubs in their rural heartlands. When Dominello declined to attend an awards dinner hosted by ClubsNSW, Nationals leader John Barilaro texted him with abusive language.

Growing Calls for Inquiry into Lobby Group’s Influence Over NSW Governments

According to Victor Dominello, ClubsNSW exhibited an excessive level of confidence in its influence in New South Wales and took pride in its achievement of thwarting poker machine reforms proposed by former Prime Minister Julia Gillard ten years ago.

Dominello was eventually stripped of his gaming portfolio by Premier Dominic Perrottet, and the portfolio was handed over to the Nationals. The succession of agreements ClubsNSW has struck before elections over the past decade has also eroded faith in democracy. 

These documents, formally known as Memoranda of Understanding, bind incoming coalition governments to detailed pledges about the regulatory environment that clubs will operate in over the ensuing four years, including no new increases to poker machine tax rates. 

The agreements were signed by then-opposition leader Barry O’Farrell in 2010, his successor as premier, Mike Baird, in 2014, and premier Gladys Berejiklian in 2018. The calls for an inquiry into the influence of the lobby group over governments are growing louder, and Dominello hopes that the next term of government will address the issue for the sake of democracy.

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