Problem Gambling Ireland’s Chief Executive Officer Barry Grant has said that problem gamblers are actually attracted by illegal casinos which openly operate in Dublin because these venues had no obligation to protect gambling addicts.
As revealed by the head of the addiction service, a lot of players who were helped by the charity organisation got addicted to casino-style games. One of them, who preferred to remain unnamed, has explained that he had become hooked on betting illegal casino venues and lost an amount of approximately €120,000 in one night only after he had used the self-exclusion option to ban himself from licensed gambling venues.
The player revealed that a venue’s employee asked him to look into a security camera for his picture to be taken. Then, he was told that he would not be permitted to return to the premises. However, a few days later, he got back to the casino, faced the same staff member who had told him that he would have been banned and had no problem to enter the venue, with no one even making a slight attempt to stop him.
As revealed by the problem gambler himself, he had already excluded himself from a number of card clubs in Dublin but was actually stopped by casino staff at only one of the venues. He also reminded that currently, casinos are not obliged to offer any support to gambling addicts, because there is no regulatory body responsible for monitoring and control on casinos.
Lack of Regulation on Casino Gambling in Ireland
The Times yesterday reported that a number of illegal casinos were being freely operated in the city centre of Dublin. According to media reports, such casinos operate in breach of a city council directive and Revenue rules regarding gambling venue licences, under which casino-style gaming machines are suspended. What is more, there are no checks to make sure that players entering the venues are over the legal age of 18.
The Chief Executive Officer of Problem Gambling Ireland also explained that the lack of regulation in terms of casinos makes the sector hard to be controlled and provided no real protection for customers. He shared that the authorities are more focused on problem gambling behaviour related to digital and online betting options, but there is still a large number of players who bet on so-called casino-style machines.
Mr. Grant said that the machines had been allowed to be operated in Ireland without the proper license in spite of the tension which fixed-odds betting terminals brought to the UK gambling sector. He explained that casino-style games, and especially roulette machines are attractive to players but the stake limit permitted on them is much higher in Ireland than in the UK, with the maximum bet possible to reach up to €500 per a single spin.
Mr. Grant also called the local authorities to impose some restrictions on gambling areas and amusement arcades which could be especially attractive to children and young individuals.
- Author
Olivia Cole
