The Department for Communities (DfC) of Northern Ireland announced the launch of a public consultation on the possible change to “outdated” gambling laws of the region.
As revealed by the DfC, the Department is trying to explore the efficiency of the existing legislation but it is also seeking to identify what changes should be included in the new gambling legislation. That is exactly why local taxpayers and representatives of the gambling sector have been invited to give their opinions on the changes that should become part of Northern Ireland’s gambling legislation overhaul. The announced consultation period will be through on February 21st, 2020.
At the time when the consultation was rolled out at the beginning of the week, permanent secretary Tracy Meharg described the gambling sector as an important employer in the region. She noted that currently, gambling is an activity in which many people participate but recognising the potential harm that could be inflicted on society was also a matter of paramount importance.
Ms Meharg further shared that any future changes to the region’s gambling legislation must find a balance between the interests of the gambling industry and the need for regulation to protect the most vulnerable members of society. In any case, Norther Ireland’s gambling laws are outdated and have not been in line with the technological and industry development that has been taking place in the last few years.
NI Gambling Laws Are Unsuitable to Guarantee Protection to Local Gamblers
The local authorities have been concerned with the potential harm that could be caused by gambling to some people. In addition, the gambling sector has changed a lot over the last decade and Northern Ireland simply needs to have gambling laws that are adequate to the current state of the industry.
The Gambling Act of 2005 that is applicable in the rest of the UK does not extend to Northern Ireland, where the sector is regulated under the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements Order of 1985. The Order was implemented more than thirty years ago, at a time when the gambling industry was a lot different. Due to the fact that it was implemented many years before iGambling became available in the UK and Northern Ireland, it refers neither to online nor to mobile gambling operations.
According to Mr Meharg, the results of the public consultation on Northern Ireland’s gambling legislation update would put the Department for Communities in a position to provide the best advice regarding any future gambling regulatory framework.
This is not the first public consultation on gambling-related issues on the territory of Northern Ireland. At the end of September, a local Christian charity called CARE NI announced that the region would launch a public consultation on the rising gambling addiction rates. Over a couple of years ago, the DfC published a study that showed considerably higher problem gambling rates in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. A few months ago, the Department decided it was high time to address the issue, so the public consultation on gambling addiction in the region was released.
- Author
Daniel Williams
