Category Archives: Gambling

UK Gambling Shake Up Hits Slots Players but Poker Left Unscathed

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has published new rules that will make slot gaming slower but leave online poker largely unaffected.

The UK Gambling Commission has introduced new rules designed to help consumers control their spending. (Image: Fifplay)

As part of its ongoing effort to make online betting and gaming safer, the UKGC, in tandem with the British government, launched a consultation in late 2020.

The aim was to procure feedback from consumers and operators before implementing new gambling regulations that are fit for the digital area. The changes were published on February 2 and, for the most part, poker remains untouched.

The UKGC’s affordability checks could cause some sports to disappear

The U.K. Gambling Commission (UKGC) is relentless in its pursuit of handicapping the gaming industry as much as possible. U.K. authorities don’t seem to have an issue with underage drinking or domestic abuse, both of which have increased over the past two years, but find someone spending €100 and suddenly there’s a problem. One of the many controls the UKGC wants to implement is an “affordability check,” which would require scrutiny of anyone who loses over £100 ($137) a month. This, combined with the commission’s crack down on gambling advertising, could lead to a number of sports throwing in the towel and giving up.

The founder and chairman of Matchroom Sports, Barry Hearn, asserts that all of the measures the UKGC is implementing to protect consumers are going to have a negative impact on sports activity. Matchroom promotes sports such as snooker, darts, boxing and more, and the commission’s move to completely eliminate gambling advertising in sports would be a “disaster” to all of them. Hearn, who is also the chairman of World Snooker, bases his assessment on history, having seen what happened when the U.K. decided to ban tobacco sponsorships from sports in 2005.

Some might argue that snooker, et al. was able to bounce back from that tobacco ban, even though it was crippled for a couple of years. However, what allowed them to stage a rebound was the approval of gambling sponsorship laws that were introduced in 2007. Losing this now, especially amid the COVID-19 crisis and Brexit, would be permanently detrimental to a number of sports, predicts Hearn.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to provide consumer protection from activity that might be harmful, as long as the measures don’t outweigh the costs. According to a number of studies, the U.K. gambling market is composed of only around 3% of individuals that could be classified as “problem gamblers.” This is drastically lower than the percentage associated with problem drinking; however, it is still possible for a 16-year old to belly up to the bar and ask for a pint. Many “problem gambling” studies have been led by gambling opponents who specifically worded their surveys in such a way as to entice responses that would benefit their cause, bringing into question the validity of all of those studies.

Longest Session of the Challenge Ends in Doug Polk’s Favor

Even Doug Polk knows his heads-up battle against Daniel Negreanu is no longer in doubt. He said as much during the Upswing Poker live-stream in which he won another $212,000 over more than seven hours of play, far and away the lengthiest of 35 sessions.

Doug Polk is on pace to finish up his battle against Daniel Negreanu winning an impressive 10 big blinds per 100 hands. (Image: YouTube)

With only around 1,500 hands remaining, Wednesday’s session very well could be the end. That’s right, folks, the challenge that feels like it’s gone on for eternity is finally approaching its conclusion.

Although there isn’t much suspense in terms of who will win the heads-up contest, there are still some reasons to continue paying attention. First off, many poker players have side bets on the outcome of the match, including Polk’s overall profit. And will Negreanu make the final tally respectable?