Irish media has spread the word that the country’s Department of Justice has shown solid indications that it will progress a Gambling Control Bill, introduced back in 2013, through the government at the earliest possible opportunity.
It was in 2011 when Irish lawmakers first announced plans to modernise the country’s obsolete gambling laws and to do that as quickly as possible. It then took almost two years for the above-mentioned Gambling Control Bill to be introduced by Alan Shatter, the then-Minister for Justice and Equality of the Republic of Ireland.
Not much progress towards the bill’s consideration in the legislature and its potential adoption as a new gambling law has been made since then. However, it seems that the long-standing legislative limbo may come to an end in early 2017. Government representatives calling for the eventual introduction of stricter measures on the way gambling operations are conducted in the country may finally urge its progress through the Oireachtas.
Irish Minister of State for Justice David Stanton has recently confirmed that the Gambling Control Bill is currently being considered and drafted by the Parliamentary Counsel Office and that Ministers will proceed with it as early as possible.
Generally speaking, the proposed legislation aims at modernising Ireland’s old-time laws regarding the regulation of sports betting and gaming options provided within the country’s borders. However, the bill does not include provisions related to the National Lottery.
As it has become clear, the legislation will be particularly focused on providing effective regulations for curbing problem gambling and protecting the most vulnerable members of population.
When and if adopted, the new gambling law will ban young people from working at betting shops. Self-exclusion will be another important measure to be included in the new regulatory framework. Thus, players with problem gambling behaviour will be able to request from betting shops and other gambling facilities of their choice to refuse them service for a certain period of time, usually up to 5 years.
Regulations for controlled marketing of the country’s gambling industry are also expected to be introduced. The Minister for Justice will be tasked with monitoring, licensing, and regulating all gambling operations conducted within Ireland’s borders. It is also important to note that the Gambling Control Bill further contains provisions for the regulation of online gambling options. iGaming operators will be required to obtain a license in order to be allowed to operate.
It is believed that the new gambling law will limit the overall number of gambling operations in Ireland, but it is yet to become known whether such restrictions will be implemented eventually.
- Author
Daniel Williams
