Ally Lang’s Post

My “£2 spin” on today’s announcement. I completely get why the decision has been made to bring online stake sizes inline with those offline (try saying that after a few beers, which you can spend as much as you like on BTW, just saying!) as well as putting in extra protections for 18–25-year-olds. But doesn’t it yet again seem like lazy legislation? I occasionally play slot games above a £5 stake (yes that’s right I am over 25) and whilst it won’t be a huge loss to me that I won’t be able to “legally” play this way, I do find it a real shame that our governments only strategy when it comes to safer gambling is to limit, block, ban and stigmatise. Shouldn’t we be educating players instead and working on effective prevention strategies as opposed to restrictive ones? It might also be worth pointing out that putting these restrictive measures in place might be a bit of an own goal as the government also aim to raise £60-£100 million through a mandatory levy 😮 Remember less GGY = less levy and not necessarily less harm! #PositivePlay

As legal sports gambling continues to grow, so does the need for casinos and other gambling-sanctioning organizations to ensure they comply with IRS reporting regulations for gambling winnings and losses. The IRS requires casinos to report W-2Gs for gambling transactions, and individual states often do as well.  For an individual who placed a bet, the threshold for reporting winnings on form W-2G is fairly high, with winnings being at least $600 or more and at least 300 times the amount of the wager. Learn more here → https://lnkd.in/e-zZGS48

Prime example why I do not go to casinos or play the lottery. If you are a person whom is susceptible to the temptation of gambling might want to consider this. "When excessive reliance on luck and fate takes hold, it can lead to complacency and a sense of entitlement. A prominent example of this behavior is seen in playing the lottery. The lottery often encourages idleness and an urge for immediate satisfaction. Regrettably, a significant number of lottery winners find themselves in financial distress within a short timeframe due to these tendencies."

🎯 I bet you care 🎯 After a first heated consultation on affordability checks 💣 among other things, (Check comment for a summary of the juicy stuff 👇), the UKGC launched the second round of the Gambling Act 2005 review ❗ Making the front-page this time: Socially responsible incentives 💥 Let's recap the key safer gambling proposals, that might affect operators, next year 👇 🎙️ In the meantime, the mic is yours https://lnkd.in/eh-7ijng #addiction #safergambling #playerprotection #responsiblegambling #gamblingindustry #gamblingaddiction

Are the Government and the Gambling Commission really singing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to affordability? I think there's a subtle, but important, difference in the way they are both speaking about the importance of incoming affordability checks being 'frictionless'. The Government still seems to be clear that checks will not be implemented until they are 'genuinely frictionless', whilst the Gambling Commission's rhetoric has shifted every so slightly to state that they must be 'frictionless for the vast majority of customers who undergo them' - same, same but....different? I'm looking forward to hearing more about the pilot scheme, but perhaps the Gambling Commission has realised that a truly frictionless solution might be truly fiction? Stuart Andrew at the BGC AGM event yesterday - "I have been clear that these checks should be genuinely frictionless - one of my first discussions with officials on taking on the gambling brief was around how we would deliver this - and the White Paper was clear that they will not be implemented until we can guarantee that they are." Tim Miller in his recent blog post - "We have been working closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to ensure that the next steps closely reflect the intention of the White Paper. That is, that the process of conducting these checks will be frictionless for the vast majority of customers who undergo them." #Gamblingnews #gamblingindustry #twobirds

I attended the Gambling Commission's Spring Conference "Better Evidence, Better Outcomes" yesterday. Next steps for the GSGB survey are shown in the image (which I hope the GC doesn't mind me sharing). Unsurprisingly, the GC were not keen to engage with the elephant in the room (the c.10x higher problem gambling rate found in its new survey methodology) but did promise to tackle anyone trying to infer a rise in problem gambling rates from the new data. Some other observations: - a number of representatives from DCMS attended, who emphasised how important it was that policy decisions are evidence based and that they built a good evidence base, - at the same time, DCMS and the GC seemed to accept the evidence was not all there yet, with evidence needing to follow regulation, - all attendees were united in a desire to tackle illegal gambling providers, but the GC still feels it will have limited powers, even with the new ability to obtain court orders against IP addresses and domains in the Criminal Justice Bill, - we don't even have evidence of the scale of the black market, against which to measure the impact of measures arising from the White Paper, - along with a brand new baseline for problem gambling rates, I left concerned that it will be very difficult to evaluate if new regulations have achieved their objective, or made things worse for those at risk of gambling harm.

📊 58.1% of participants believed that only individual gamblers are responsible for preventing gambling harm, according to a study that surveyed over 4,000 casino members... However, those who scored positive on problem gambling screens are more likely to see shared responsibility, assigning more blame to casinos. These findings highlight the need for effective responsible gambling programs and broader awareness about shared responsibility in minimizing gambling harm. 🧠 What are your thoughts on shared responsibility in minimizing gambling harm? Full study here: https://lnkd.in/g8ka2_yJ #GamblingResearch #ResponsibleGambling #ProblemGambling

Within the first two months since online betting became legal in North Carolina, bettors had already wagered over $1 billion. But not everyone's happy. Bettors also filed about 85 complaints against gambling operators. That’s according to the state attorney general’s office and the state lottery commission. This story, and other local business news, on this week's BizWorthy. #charlotte #businessnews #news

Changes are coming to how registered clubs and hotels manage gambling risks for the community. These changes are positive ones, but they place an increased burden on all operators of gaming machines to ensure they are proactively assessing and managing gambling risks. If you or your org are impacted by these changes then join us for an informative webinar this week where we will discuss the upcoming changes and showcase some cool software options to help manage these new obligations particularly around Gambling Plan of Management (GPOM), RCG and incident registers. Paul Dunn Business Growth Strategist Don Hammond #coreintegrity #corethix

What is responsible gambling? It's the discipline of betting money without engaging in compulsive habits and exposing oneself to significant financial risk. If you are planning on gambling, here are responsible gambling guidelines to follow: ▪️ Set a Budget ▪️ Understand the Odds ▪️ Avoid Impulsive Bets ▪️ Bet with a Clear Mind ▪️ Keep a Record of Your Bets ▪️ Don't Chase Losses ▪️ Take Breaks ▪️ Seek Help if Necessary Please contact Nicasa if you or a loved one needs to talk about problem gambling. Email [email protected] or call 847-546-6450 ext. 8. OCNJ Daily: https://ow.ly/Vcls50Qq0a4. #ResponsibleGambling #ProblemGambling #SeekHelp