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The latest results of the quarterly Gambling Participation survey conducted by the UK Gambling Commission have been released. It has again been shown that UK bettors favor the National Lottery over online gambling. A total of 7,000 people participated in the survey and more than half (54.3 percent to be exact) gambled. Of this group, only 10.5 per cent gambled online meaning that there has been no increase in the number of players placing bets remotely since 2009. This figure was 9.7 percent in 2008, 8.8 percent in 2007 and 7.2 percent in 2006. Additionally, it was found that more men than women gambled and the most likely age group to gamble was 15 to 34 year olds. The surveys were carried by ICM Research which is a member of the British Polling Council and included a national representative sample, taking into account age, gender, region and social classification. Surveys were conducted over the phone. One of the purposes of the research is to estimate the prevalence of problem gambling, to discover what motivates people to gamble and to help develop policy for the regulation of gambling.
Amazingly, William Hill online thinks I'm a Celebrity villain Gillian McKeith now has a better chance of winning the reality show than she did just a few days ago. Yes, we are talking she of possibly the most dismal series of Bush Tucker Trial performances in jungle history, not to mention the most negative attitude. Claim a £25 free bet - open an account at William Hill Sports using promo code F25 McKeith's Chances Improve Just a few days ago, Britain's most dreaded nutritionist was firmly ensconced at the bottom of the celebrity heap, with odds of 100/1 for an outright win. Today, even after a verbal attack on fellow jailbird contestant and fans' favourite, Stacey Solomon, McKeith is sitting pretty (well, not that pretty) at 66/1. In fact, Will Hill now rates former Bond girl, Britt Ekland (80/1,) and Playboy Playmate, Kayla Collins (also 80/1), as less likely to take home the crown than McKeith. A Case of Schadenfreude? Perhaps Will Hill is aware of the love/hate relationships we Brits have with reality show stars. Nothing is more entertaining than watching a celebrity making a total fool out of herself, and McKeith has certainly done that. Amid rumours of her wobbly mental state and even that 51-year-old McKeith claimed to be pregnant to avoid a term in Jungle Jail (in footage that was cut by programme directors), WH may be gearing up for the event that McKeith just might receive some "respect for sticking it out" votes when the time comes. The Favourites Nevertheless, the folks at Will Hill announced a few days ago that either Solomon or former Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder would take home the coveted royal title, and they are sticking to their guns: Solomon's odds are currently 5/6 and Ryder's 5/2. The statistics are, fluid, though - so you should check Will Hill's site for the latest predictions. More Markets Please! Our two pence worth for WH is that dramatic shows like I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here clearlyhave so much potential for interesting markets, it's almost a shame that only one is avail
It is not surprising really that Christmas is everyone's favourite time of year, especially for online bingo players. Leading bingo sites such as William Hill Bingo, Giggle Bingo and Ruby Bingo have really surpassed all expectations this year with their generous opportunities for UK bingo players. Jingle Balls Giveaway To begin with, Giggle Bingo is holding a Jingle Balls promotion throughout the entire month of December. Players are invited to pick a bauble from under the bingo site's Christmas tree and see what prize they've won with the Giggle Bingo Jingle Balls Giveaway. BBz bonuses range from £1 - £50! Make your choice and reap the rewards. William Hill's Advent Calendar Additionally, William Hill Bingo's Advent Calendar is well underway. Every day from now until Christmas Eve you should check it out to see what special little festive gift they have to offer you. Amongst the mix of surprises are free bingo games, bonuses, free online slot spins and other tantalizing prizes. More Christmas Goodies Finally, Ruby Bingo is giving away a luxury hamper full of Christmas goodies to one lucky player. This prize draw is only open to UK based players. With Christmas nearly upon us and snow already blanketing most of England, you should get cracking not to miss these great opportunities.
Amid fierce competition, online casino and bingo room operators are pushing their products so hard that finding objective reviews on gaming site X, Y or Z can be tough. After all, if we were to believe all the online bingo news we read, then every internet bingo room in existence could claim to be the world's best. There are, however, some tell tale signs that a bingo room is providing a good service. Player Numbers Speak Volumes Let's look at popular British bingo site Tombola. This bingo room has been crowned (twice) Bingo Operator of the Year 2010, and is generating approximately £46 million per month. Nothing speaks to the quality of an online bingo site as convincingly as a vote of confidence from players - the fact that Tombola has around 280,000 players monthly (that's twice the number of its nearest UK competitor) indicates that this bingo room truly deserves its number one title. Tombola Bingo Attractions So what brings so many bingo lovers to Tombola? A little research reveals a few clues. This site: Pays out £3 million in bingo prizes every week Is home to more than 40 chat rooms Offers lots of themed bingo games (including Bingo Roulette, Bingo 90 and the popular "Hamster Race") at varying schedules for maximum convenience Dreams up regular promotions and prize giveaways Provides customer support by phone, email and live chat Accepts PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, Maestro and Solo Christmas Promotions Tombola Bingo looks likely to hold on to its number one spot even though its competitors are hot on its heels. Sensibly, the site doesn't rest on its laurels when it comes to Christmas promotions. Tombola's advent game - Secret Santa - will give away £100,000 in prizes and goodies before December 25th.
The English Premier League sees a full round of crucial matches on the New Year's Day weekend, continuing a packed fixture that has seen all teams play at least three matches within an eight-day period. Sports Lines In the pick of the matches, third-place Arsenal travels to lowly Birmingham, who would be brimming with confidence after holding league leader Manchester United to a draw on Tuesday. In the title odds, William Hill now has Manchester United as a solid favorite, although the form of cross-town rival Manchester City means the premiership is now genuinely a four-horse race. And finally, in manager odds, Roy Hodgson is under the gun at struggling Liverpool, with Hills now offering 8/11 on him being out of a job by the first day of next season. Here are the picks of the William Hill sports betting odds for this coming week and the rest of the season: - January 1 fixtures: Birmingham 9/2, draw 13/5, Arsenal 4/6; Stoke 13/8, draw 21/10, Everton 9/5, Liverpool 13/20, draw 11/4, Bolton 9/2; West Brom 5/1, draw 3/1, Man Utd 11/20. - Title odds: Man Utd 11/10, Chelsea 3/1, Arsenal 4/1, Man City 7/1, Tottenham 25/1. - Next manager out: Avram Grant 9/4, Roy Hodgson 11/4, Gerard Houllier 4/1, Mark Hughes 9/2, Mick McCarthy, Carlo Ancelotti 6/1.
The Department of Culture, Media and Sport has just announced the name of the new Chair of the Gambling Commission. Philip Graf took the post on 1 April 2011. Two Roles in One Mr Graf appears to have got a 100% welcome bonus with the job! The role also designates him as chairman of a new body which will be created by merging the Gambling Commission and National Lottery Commission. Strong Leadership Tourism Minister John Penrose said, "Philip Graf has a wealth of knowledge as a board member and his vast experience will serve him well as he takes up his post at the Gambling Commission. This will be even more important as the merger takes place to provide strong leadership and support to all those involved and I have no doubt he will rise to the challenge." A Wealth of Experience Graf comes with some useful experience. He is the outgoing Deputy Chairman of Ofcom and has many years experience in the media, notably his four year stint as Chief Executive of Trinity Mirror Group. In this post he was instrumental in transforming Trinity Mirror into the UK's largest newspaper group. Another string to his bow is his 2003 review of the BBC's online activities. Other relevant roles include his time as Chairman of the Press Standards Board of Finance (which funds the Press Complaints Commission). Arise Sir Graf! Graf is a Cambridge law graduate. In 2003 he received a CBE for services to regional newspapers in the Queen's birthday honours list. He appears to be an experienced pair of hands to steer the UK Gambling Commission through the five year tenure of this post.
Independent bookmaker Betfred has beaten out two competitors to receive an exclusive seven-year license from the British government for the Horserace Totalisator Board, or Tote. New players in online betting? The government announced last Friday that it had agreed to sell the Tote to Betfred for a hefty sum of £265m, accepting Betfred's bid ahead of one from Sports Investment Partners and a Martin Broughton-led consortium that had support from the British Horseracing Authority. Under the deal, Betfred will expand from its current 840 outlets to include the Tote's 517 betting shops, which will bring it into competition with the big names of the industry - William Hill, Ladbrokes and Coral. This could also help it with its online betting operations in the future. 'Tote support racing industry' The government's department for sport said after the sale that it helped fulfil the aims of acknowledging the support the racing industry and taxpayers receive from the Tote. As Gambling and Racing Minister John Penrose said, "most people can't understand why, in the modern world, the government should be even a part owner of a bookie." Betfred will be bound to provide pool betting on every approved racecourse in the UK as part of the exclusive seven-year license agreement.
The recent saga involving Full Tilt Poker and its suspended license raises some questions among online gamblers in the UK, which call for clarification. Full Tilt Poker The popular online poker room, Full Tilt, held a license issued by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission. The license has since been suspended, for unspecified reasons, which will all be discussed come July 26, when a hearing is scheduled. White List Licenses A license from Alderney is clearly not a license issued by the UK Gambling Commission, the official UK regulatory authority for the country's gambling industry. However, a license obtained from Alderney makes a poker site - or online casino, or any other online gambling site - de facto legit to advertise and operate in the UK. Alderney is not alone. The Isle of Man, from which PokerStars holds a license, for example, is also White Listed, meaning the UK Gambling Commission relies on the jurisdiction's integrity as a licensing authority. Changes to Come? The Guardian reported that that the British Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt is considering changes that will focus on offshore licensing, both to protect players and to claim greater taxes from licenses and possibly advertising revenue. Protecting Players A functioning regulatory body such as the UK Gambling Commission is in place, and the UK gambling community is better protected for it. Changes, perhaps the changes planned by the Culture Secretary are welcome, as long as they protect players and maintain a fair and open market. This to ensure a second Full Tilt Poker collapse does not occur again.
William Hill is perhaps the best known betting operator in Great Britain, so when the company comes out and criticizes the British government over proposed new gambling reforms people stand up and take note. 'Stepping on a minefield' Hill's CEO Ralph Topping slammed the government for its proposed changes to the licensing and taxation of online gambling, telling the Chronicle newspaper in an exclusive interview that it is "stepping on a minefield." Topping accused politicians of taking an unreasonable approach with its proposal, saying: If politicians act holistically, people might think that was a reasonable approach, but if they salami slice things, they're in danger of making huge mistakes and getting into legal territory they wouldn't enjoy." William Hill already moved its entire internet gambling division to Gibraltar to avoid high taxation in the UK, which was affecting its ability to compete with other European gambling companies. Britain's US-inspired proposal British Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt is behind the push to reform the country's gambling regulations in the aftermath of Black Friday, in which major online poker operators were indicted by US prosecutors. Under the measures, new restrictions could be imposed on advertising activities of offshore operators, and the White List, which allows brands to function without receiving UK Gambling Commission licenses, could also be headed for the dustbin. This is so that offshore operators will also be brought under Britain's taxation regime.
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