Members of the public trust the UK gaming industry’s ability to handle their personal information less than any other business sector – despite having no recorded data protection blunders, new research suggests.

The UK’s financial bookmakers have seen a big increase in fixed-odds betting business as traders attempt to get around the Financial Services Authority (FSA) ban on short-selling. But while the temporary regulatory change has created a new opportunity, many operators believe laying the market's turmoil may not be worth their trouble.

UEFA has started recruiting for a new gambling investigation unit after admitting that 25 UEFA Cup matches were being studied due to irregular betting patterns. European football’s governing body said it would launch a continent-wide task force to tackle match fixing and illegal betting in all football competitions.

The impact of the UK Financial Service Authority's decision to suspend short-selling of key financial shares will likely have a limited effect on spread firm’s bottom lines, according to one of the industry's key players, but observers are united in their opinion that the new restrictions are placing the blame at the wrong door.

A new crackdown on illegal gaming machine suppliers has been launched by the Gambling Commission. The Commission has identified the black market in illegal machines as one of its key priorities for enforcement action and its Compliance and Enforcement team will be targeting illegal operators across the UK in a renewed drive to rid the industry of the trade.

Investigations into two grizzly murders which took place last month in the North of England have revealed an underworld of phone betting which exploits the broadcast delays created by Chinese media censorship.

Germany’s football authorities have launched an investigation into new match-fixing allegations after claims that two Bundesliga games were rigged by a Malaysian gambler. A match at the 2006 World Cup between Ghana and Brazil has also come under scrutiny.

Voters in Alaska have voted down a contentious plan to introduce a gaming commission in the state - and potentially introduce casinos and lotteries. The proposal would have meant creating a regulator in the state, with the authority to expand gambling by allowing slot machines, poker rooms, lotteries or any form of wagering game.

The beleaguered UK pub industry has called for a series of measures including higher prizes from fruit machines and the introduction of all-weather machines that can be played outside in a bid to boost flagging business.

Police and Gambling Commission officials have raided a privately run lottery which raises hundreds of thousands of pounds for children with cancer. The raid comes at a time when the DCMS is consulting on proposals to increase the jackpots payable by licensed charity lotteries.

A claim by leading bookmakers that UK racecourse owners illegally fixed prices to get more money for televised racing coverage in betting shops when they set up their own broadcasting joint venture has been thrown out by the High Court.

The UK Gambling Commission has outlined its plans to investigate the impact of gaming machines on problem gambling amid industry fears the Government could instigate tougher regulations. As part of ongoing assessments, the Commission has confirmed it will set up a panel of international problem gambling experts in order to look into the issue.

The NBA has pledged to further tighten its anti-gambling policy and procedures after a top referee who gave tips and placed bets on games was yesterday jailed.

Gaming firms are likely to be faced with stricter responsibilities on data protection, with tougher sanctions in the case of breaches, as new laws are introduced across Europe in the near future, leading lawyers have warned.

Gambling Commission officers and vice police working together for the first time have arrested three men suspected of running a gambling ring which scammed casinos and bookmakers across the country.

Gaming firms who share information with sports governing bodies about clients betting activities via, for example, memoranda of understanding, could potentially be in breach of data protection law, a legal conference has heard.

Gambling operators who plan online marketing campaigns must meet increasingly tough regulatory requirements to avoid breaching data protection legislation, a direct marketing lawyer has warned.

The ATP has raised the profile of its anti-corruption campaign after suspending two players for betting on matches – just days after they had won tournaments. Doubles specialists Frantisek Cermak and Michal Mertinak were found guilty of betting on matches after an investigation found they had breached the association’s rules.

Hopes that Antigua’s long running feud with the United States may finally be resolved have been dashed after a US trade delegation visit produced no agreements. The island’s government has warned it could be months before a deal is reached.

Breaches of data protection policy are usually caused by human error or mistakes, but often because staff do not appreciate the importance of protecting the information, a senior audit specialist has warned gaming firms.

Online gaming firms who verify the location of their customers through the use of IP address identification are in danger of breaking data protection laws, a senior telecommunications and gaming lawyer has warned.

Plans to double jackpot limits for the UK’s charity lotteries and increase the amount they can raise to £4m, were unveiled yesterday.

The Tote, the UK’s state-owned bookmaker, shrugged off a “very difficult year” to report annual profits up 3.1 percent yesterday – just 10 days before analysts are expected to advise the Government on how to sell the business.

A merger of two of Australia's leading gaming firms would have "great benefits" - particularly after recent legislative changes, according to the chief executive of Tatts Group.

TV watchdogs have banned an advert for the UK National Lottery after ruling it unfairly insulted Britain's bingo industry. Lottery bosses Camelot were found guilty of "denigration" after it portrayed the rival game as a dying pastime in a bid to promote its own bingo-based scratchcard game.

Intralot Italia, having been thwarted by Lottomatica at the last minute in its attempts to acquire the online market leader Totosí only weeks previously, has in some respects pulled off an even larger coup by acquiring the William Hill/Codere business that was up for grabs in the Italian gaming market this week. Intralot’s Italian boss has given his view on the deal and the future for Intralot in this first European market to open to overseas operators.

A horse-racing betting system designed to help bookmakers offer changing odds during in-running betting was facing closure yesterday after failing to secure a long term contract.

The dangers for spread betting firms of helping clients when they struggle to pay gambling losses has been highlighted after a court ruled that one firm was partly responsible for a client’s worsening debts after it failed to close his bets immediately.

Betting shops and bingo halls in Northern Ireland could open on Sundays for the first time after a senior Stormont minister called on colleagues to back plans to radically reform gaming legislation.

Britain’s bingo halls face a summer of closures and job losses unless the Government announces measures to help struggling operators before the upcoming parliamentary recess, the main trade association representing the industry has warned.