GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 47 - July 2020

QUOTABLES Q U O T A B L E S “The feelingof boredomcausedby the containment and the suspensionof themajorityof sports competitions couldencourage someplayers to turn to the illegal offer . . .Manyplayerswhovisit these illegalwebsitesnever get theirwinnings paidandplayers arenot protected if they lose control. It is alsopossible that someof the sports competitions offered for bettingmay in fact be fake competitions.” —French iGaming regulator ARJEL as it provided responsible gambling advice for operators and players during the coronavirus lockdown “It is crucial for the success of the licensing systemand the safeguarding of customer protection thatMr. Shekarabi withdraws his additionalmeasures towards the locally licensed operators. The licensing systemis fragile and can’t endure further attacks fromtheMinister . . .We can only be left towonderwhyArdalan Shekarabi wants to torpedo his own gambling regulations.” —Gustaf Hoffstedt, Secretary General of the Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling, in a petition to Minister Ardalan Shekarabi, warning about the “increasingly low channelization on the Swedish gambling market.” “In times of uncertainty it was essential that we reassured our people of the commitment we have to themand the wider community . . . They’ve been instrumental in our success andwill continue to be so throughout these troubling times and beyond, when normalitywill inevitably be restored.” —bet365 spokesperson after the company promised no job losses and guaranteed the pay of its workforce through August, despite the COVID-19 pandemic (The Sentinel) “The Gambling Commission is not fit for purpose and [Chief Executive] Neil McArthur should resign in the light of this report. The commission is simply not up to the job of regulating the gambling industry, particularly the online sector, parts of which seem to operate like theWildWest.” —Labour MP Carolyn Harris after a National Audit Office report warned that the UKGC was “struggling to protect people from gambling-related harm” (The Guardian) G P W A t i m e s . o r g 10