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☆ Betting scandal inside the UK's ruling Conservative Party mars election race
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( April Roach | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — Britain's ruling Conservative party has become embroiled in a scandal concerning allegations that senior officials used inside knowledge to win bets on the date of the general election. Nick Mason, chief data officer for the Conservative Party, is the latest Tory official to be probed by the Gambling Commission, according to a report in The Sunday Times. CNBC was unable to immediately confirm this and the Conservative Party has not yet responded to a request for comment. Conservative MP for Montgomeryshire Craig Williams, who is also a close aide to the prime minister, was the first to face questions regarding a bet on the election date. The Conservative Party's campaign director Tony Lee, and his wife, Laura Saunders — the party's candidate in Bristol North West — are also being looked into by the Gambling Commission.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Nick Mason, Sunday Times . Mason, Montgomeryshire Craig Williams, Williams, Tony Lee, Laura Saunders —, Lee, Saunders Organizations: Conservative, Conservative Party, Tory, Gambling, Sunday Times, British, CNBC, Montgomeryshire, Bristol North, Commission, Independent, Metropolitan Police, Professional, Independent Office, Police

☆ Britain’s embattled ruling party roiled by election-related gambling scandal
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Britain’s governing Conservative Party has been rocked by a gambling scandal in the middle of the campaign for an election that it is expected to lose. The UK’s PA Media news agency reported on Thursday that Conservative candidate Laura Saunders is facing a gambling watchdog investigation into alleged betting offenses. Prior to standing as a candidate, Saunders worked for the Conservative Party. A Conservative spokesperson told CNN in a statement: “We have been contacted by the Gambling Commission about a small number of individuals. It would be the first time Labour has entered power from opposition since 1997 and would end 14 years of controversial government by the Conservative Party.

Persons: Laura Saunders, Saunders, Tony Lee, Lee, ” Saunders, Craig Williams, Rishi Sunak, Williams, “, …, ”, It’s Organizations: CNN, Conservative Party, Media, Conservative, BBC, Commission, UK’s, Sunak, The Metropolitan Police, Professional, Labour Party, Labour, Conservatives

☆ UK prime minister’s protection officer arrested over alleged bet on election timing
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Sharon Braithwaite | Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A police constable working as part of the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s protection team was arrested this week for allegedly making bets related to the timing of the general election, police told CNN. The officer was arrested on Monday “on suspicion of misconduct in public office,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said Wednesday. The arrest comes days after the Guardian newspaper reported that a close aide of Sunak made a £100 ($127) bet on a July election date before the prime minister had publicly announced the date. Many people in the comments have since reacted by highlighting the news of the police constable’s arrest for allegedly betting on the election. The UK general election will take place on July 4.

Persons: Rishi Sunak’s, “, ”, Sunak, Craig Williams, that’s, Sunak’s Organizations: CNN, UK, Metropolitan Police, Commission, Protection Command, Professional, Guardian, BBC, Met, Sunak’s Conservative Party, Labour, Labour Party Locations: ”, Sunak, Britain

☆ Officer in Sunak’s Protection Team Accused of Placing U.K. Election Bet
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Stephen Castle | More About Stephen Castle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A protection officer working for Britain’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, was arrested over allegations he had made bets on the timing of the country’s general election, which was recently called months earlier than had been expected, the police said on Wednesday. In a statement, the Metropolitan Police, the force that covers London, said the officer had been removed from operational duties and had been arrested on Monday “on suspicion of misconduct in public office.” The force added that the officer, who was not identified by name, was free on bail “pending further enquiries.”News of the arrest came a week after Craig Williams, a Conservative lawmaker and parliamentary aide to Mr. Sunak, apologized after having placed a bet on the timing of the election before the date of July 4 was officially announced. “I put a flutter on the general election some weeks ago,” Mr. Williams, who is running for re-election in the July 4 vote, wrote on social media. He noted that the Gambling Commission, which oversees the betting industry in Britain, was making inquiries. “I confirm I will fully cooperate with these,” he said.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Craig Williams, Sunak, “, Mr, Williams, ” Organizations: Metropolitan Police, ”, Conservative, Gambling Commission Locations: London, Britain

☆ Counter Strike raked in nearly $1 billion in 2023 by from randomized loot boxes
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"Counter Strike" made nearly $1 billion from loot boxes last year. One study found that 71% of the top Steam games in the last decade had loot boxes. AdvertisementWhile their exact mechanics vary from game to game, loot boxes generally work the same: you buy a loot box using in-game currency or real money, and it in turn gives you a randomized reward. The UK's Department for Culture, Media and Sport is still actively examining loot boxes and published a list of 10 rules that developers should follow to "enhance player protection" in July 2023. AdvertisementSome of the recommendations include restricting anyone under 18 from purchasing loot boxes and disclosing the presence of loot boxes in a game prior to purchase and download of the game.

Persons: — Organizations: Regulators, Steam, Service, Daily, The University of York, UK's, UK's Department for Culture, Media, Sport, Entertainment

☆ Denise Coates: Bet365 gambling executive’s $281 million salary deemed not ‘sensible and proportionate’
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The founder and boss of gambling company Bet365 earned a salary of around $281 million (£221 million) in the last financial year – ending March 26, 2023. Denise Coates, the joint-chief executive and majority shareholder of Bet365, also earned at least 50% of the company’s $127 million (£100 million) in dividends on top of her $281 million salary, company accounts published on Sunday show. Her base salary is an increase of about $10 million compared to last year, even as Bet365 made pre-tax losses of around $77 million (£60.2 million). The Coates family was also estimated by the Sunday Times to be the UK’s second-highest tax payer in 2023, contributing around $585 million (£460 million). Last year, the club incurred pre-tax losses of $15.8 million (£12.4 million).

Persons: Bet365, Denise Coates, Coates, BBC –, Luke Hildyard, “, Nathan Stirk Organizations: CNN, BBC, Pay, Trent, Denise Coates Foundation, Sunday Times, Forbes, Bet365, Stoke City Football Club, Commission Locations: Bet365, English, Stoke, Trent

☆ Children addicted to video games ran away from home in the middle of the night to find WiFi when parents turned their internet connection off, says expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Children addicted to video games run away from home in search of WiFi and turn violence, per a doctor. Many games involve loot boxes, typically unknown items unlocked through additional gameplay or paid for with real-world or in-game money. Video game companies EA and Respawn have faced criticism for expensive loot boxes in Apex Legends, with one axe totaling $178 in microtransactions when it was released. "To spend money, these children need to borrow money from parents or use monetary gifts received for birthdays and Christmas. Last year, then-Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries opted not to regulate loot boxes as gambling.

Persons: Henrietta Bowden, Jones, Bowden, Nadine Dorries Organizations: for Gaming Disorders, National Centre for Gaming Disorders, Guardian, EA, Apex, Gambling Locations: microtransactions, Austrian, Belgium, Australia

LONDON, April 27 (Reuters) - Britain on Thursday set out long-awaited plans to crack down on problem gambling as it aims to bring regulations up to date with a rise in betting online and on smartphones. The reforms would give extra powers to gambling regulators to take down illegal betting sites and tackle unauthorised operators. Campaign group Charity Gambling with Lives, which supports families bereaved by gambling-related suicide, welcomed the changes but said they did not go far enough. It had called for an end to all gambling advertising and affordability checks at 100 pounds of monthly losses. Habits have changed significantly since then, with an exponential rise in online betting.

☆ William Hill to Pay Record $23.7 Million in Settlement With U.K. Gambling Commission
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Richard Vanderford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

William Hill units that operate online gambling sites will pay most of the settlement amount. Gambling company William Hill will pay about £19.2 million, equivalent to $23.7 million, in the U.K. Gambling Commission’s largest ever enforcement action, as the regulator presses an aggressive crackdown on anti-money-laundering failures. Three William Hill units have entered into settlements over alleged anti-money-laundering failures and alleged problems ensuring responsible gambling, the Gambling Commission said Tuesday. William Hill is owned by 888 Holdings PLC, a publicly traded gambling company, following a 2022 acquisition. William Hill’s U.S. operations weren’t part of the transaction.

☆ Cost-of-living hit compounds UK gambling problems, charity warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 29 (Reuters) - Some Britons with gambling problems have used betting shops as a way to keep warm and have wagered their state benefits in an attempt to cover their bills as the cost-of-living crisis escalates, a charity warned on Wednesday. A new report from GamCare, which provides support to people with gambling problems, showed this group was far more likely than the general population to struggle paying for groceries or stay warm at home. The YouGov poll showed 20% of people experiencing gambling harms had struggled to pay for groceries, compared with 11% of the wider population. At the William Hill companies, multiple failures were found by the Gambling Commission, it said on Monday. GamCare said it had launched a new Money Guidance Service to help people with gambling problems to put their finances back on track.

☆ UK's William Hill fined $24 million for widespread gambling failures
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - Britain's Gambling Commission has slapped a 19.2 million pound ($23.7 million) fine on companies owned by betting shop group William Hill for failing to protect consumers and weak anti-money laundering controls, it said on Tuesday. Instead the regulator opted to hand William Hill the largest penalty in UK gambling history. "We found serious non-compliance issues around safer gambling measures ... and also anti-money laundering control failings across the company," Andrew Rhodes, chief executive of the Gambling Commission told BBC Radio. It completed its takeover of William Hill and related companies last year. "After William Hill was acquired, the company quickly addressed the identified issues with the implementation of a rigorous action plan," an 888 spokesperson said.

☆ U.K. Gambling Company Fined $7.6 Million Over Alleged Money-Laundering Control Issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Richard Vanderford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

U.K. online gambling company Intouch Games Ltd. has been fined the equivalent of $7.6 million after a regulator cited a series of failures in its program to prevent money laundering. The U.K.’s Gambling Commission on Wednesday announced the £6.1 million penalty for Intouch, the third action the regulator has taken against the company since 2019. The Gambling Commission has been among the more active enforcement bodies in its approach to the growing online gambling sector, taking action against companies when it has found problems with controls intended to prevent illicit money flows. Birmingham, England-based Intouch, which operates 11 gambling websites, was acquired in June by Skywind Holdings Ltd., a provider of online gambling software. Intouch in 2019 entered a £2.2 million settlement with the Gambling Commission.

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