The Irish Republican Party, Fianna Fáil, has blamed the Government for delaying the new gambling legislation of the country on purpose. According to the Irish Republicans, the Government has prepared its own gambling legislation, which was based on the Fine Gael bill that has long been delayed.
Yesterday, three members of Fianna Fáil – Jack Chambers, Jim O’Callaghan and Anne Rabbitte – claimed that the local Government has failed gambling addicts, as it has not done much for the progress of the 2013 Gambling Control Bill. According to the Irish Republican Party members, preparing a new law based on the afore-mentioned Gambling Control Bill instead of using an amended version of the 2013 bill, was unnecessary thing to do.
The justice spokesman of Fianna Fáil, Mr. O’Callaghan, commented that no further close examinations were needed, and the original bill of 2013 had already been passed through the Committee. According to him, the Government has been trying only to delay the necessary changes by urging various consultations.
In January 2018, the Cabinet gave the nod to the justice minister Charlie Flanagan to update the 2013 bill. However, no time-frame has been given for the movement of the Government’s bill. Reportedly, this is among the priorities of the junior justice minister David Stanton. The Government has revealed that it would engage with the opinions of local stakeholders, including bookmakers, but strong customer protection would also be among its paramount priorities.
The gambling bill, which is expected to be rolled out any time soon, would be the first serious amendment of the Irish gambling legislation in more than 50 years.
Gambling Law Should Protect Problem Gamblers
As mentioned above, members of the Irish Republican Party have criticised the Government for its lack of action on forging and implementing relevant gambling legislation that would guarantee safe services provided to customers. In addition, Fianna Fáil also insisted that the updated gambling legislation that is to be rolled out in the country needs to make sure that proper protection measures are set in order for better protection of problem gamblers is provided.
According to Irish Republicans, the piece of legislation from 2013 provides a clear basis for adequate regulation to be provided to the Irish gambling industry, as well as proper protection of vulnerable people to be ensured and gambling advertising and sponsorship to be restricted. The justice spokesman of the party also shared that there was not any reason for further delays of the legislation.
Mr. Chambers, member of Fianna Fáil, shared that the Government’s unwillingness to act on its own bill meant that a bill from the opposition party should be given an advance. He criticised the Cabinet for leaving gambling addicts unprotected for years and said that better support for individuals suffering from problem gambling issues and their families was needed.
The third member of the Irish Republican Party who strongly criticised the Government for its lack of action, Ms. Rabbitte, said that proper gambling regulation was urgently needed, especially considering the fact that an increasing number of young people got attracted by online gambling activities. In her opinion, the new piece of legislation would have to roll out stricter gambling advertising rules.
- Author
Daniel Williams
