Political gambling: a cautionary tale from the 2009 expenses scandal: As gamblegate stretches into its second week, it seems there is no end to the revelations about MPs misbehaving at the bookies. And naturally, as when any significant ethical misconduct is in the news, it didn’t take long for this one to be equated with …
What does the law say about gambling on election dates with inside information?: People with connections to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are being investigated by the Gambling Commission, reportedly over allegations they placed bets on an election being called on July 4, shortly before it became public knowledge. Sunak’s former parliamentary private secretary and …
How AI and AR could increase the risk of problem gambling for online sports betting: Kaspars Grinvalds/Shutterstock Sometimes referred to as the “crack cocaine of gambling”, electronic gaming machines (EGMs) such as slot machines allow bets to be placed as quickly as once every 2.5 seconds, delivering a rapid and immersive gambling experience. Similar features …
Crypto trading: politicians who say it should be treated like gambling are completely wrong: No ifs or bits. Ground Picture Cryptocurrency trading should be regulated in the same way as gambling, according to the UK parliamentary select committee in charge of scrutinising finance. The committee published a report arguing that this was necessary because digital …
Technology can play a vital role in limiting online gambling – here’s how: Over a quarter of people in the UK gamble online at least once every four weeks. Wpadington / Shutterstock More than a quarter of people in the UK gamble online at least once every four weeks. And 1%–2% of UK adults demonstrate …
Vampire Survivors: how developers used gambling psychology to create a BAFTA-winning game: Vampire Survivors won Best Game at the 2023 awards. Courtesy of Poncle, CC BY-SA The independent game Vampire Survivors delivered a shock result at the 2023 BAFTA Game Awards when it defeated blockbusters God of War: Ragnarok and Elden Ring to take home …
Gambling Act review: how EU countries are tightening restrictions on ads and why the UK should too: The UK is currently review its gambling regulations. Marko Aliaksandr/Shutterstock When the 2005 Gambling Act was drafted the world was very different. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube didn’t exist. Gambling was often seen as a shady activity typically conducted …
US midterms: why gambling markets often predict elections more accurately than polls: Polls Vs betting on who will win control of Congress. Andychi/Shutterstock This year’s US midterms are on a razor’s edge. In the summer it appeared the US supreme court’s ruling on abortion and some legislative successes – most notably Build Back Better, a …
Vladimir Putin: risk-taker who is gambling his country’s future: In the early 1990s, when he was deputy mayor of St Petersburg, Vladimir Putin was known to a member of the city’s legislature, Viktor Talanov. A psychologist by profession, Talanov prepared a study of Putin in which he concluded that one of his subject’s fundamental psychological …
Sports betting: how in-play betting features could be leading to harmful gambling – new research: Wpadington/Shutterstock With the rapid convergence of the gambling and technology spheres over recent years, sports betting has become more accessible, more customisable and more complex. Gone are the days where punters were limited to betting on the winner or loser …
Gambling: what happens in the brain when we get hooked – and how to regain control: The brains of gambling addicts activate in specific ways. GoodIdeas/Shutterstock Many people turned to online gambling during the pandemic. And while a large proportion of us are able to gamble recreationally, without serious negative impact, the pandemic has led …
Autumn budget expert Q&A: ‘Rishi Sunak is gambling that economic recovery is genuine’: Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s autumn budget and three-year spending review looks pivotal for the UK, coming amid shortages, rising prices and yet another COVID surge. With a general election due in the next couple of years, all eyes are on how the chancellor …
Personalised gambling adverts: a troubling new trend: Gambling advertising is now more interactive online icsnaps/Shutterstock Recent research shows that there is a new type of gambling advert used online and on social media to make them more appealing. Unlike on television, these online advertisements can be more personalised, interactive and may be harder to distinguish …
How football and COVID-19 are both triggers for a surge in online gambling: Shutterstock/Xavier Lorenzo Euro 2020 is one of the biggest events in football, a festival of goal scoring and glory seeking – and for many, yet another opportunity to gamble. Anyone following the action – whether it’s at a stadium, on TV or …
How soccer’s ‘gambling games’ build the sport in South Africa: Members of the UB40 amateur football club train in the late afternoon light in Khayelitsha, in the 'Cape flats' near Cape Town. Photo by Gideon Mendel/Corbis via Getty Images In outlining how soccer is played in South Africa, an executive of a soccer club in …
Gambling: a sure bet? The global challenges facing young people: The global growth of gambling has led to tensions about what role it can and should play in our societies. In Kenya, the rise of online sports betting highlights broader social issues – with disillusioned youth using it as a way to fund themselves through …
Why smartphone gambling is on the up among African millennials: When one talks about young Africans using smartphones, the dominant narrative is that these gadgets serve mostly as platforms for connection so that users can communicate and share greetings and information via text and images. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp and Signal take pride of place …
Online gambling: children among easy prey for advertisers who face few sanctions: vectorfusionart/Shutterstock With concerns growing that children and vulnerable people are being targeted by rogue online gambling advertising, my new research suggests the current sanctions aren’t enough to change the practices of online advertisers. In April 2019, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ran …