Concerns regarding live sports (including horseracing and soccer) broadcasts have recently emerged, following a proposed ban on gambling advertising in Ireland.
After the ban was initially rejected in January 2023, Ireland’s Department of Justice (DoJ) expressed its willingness to back the further advancement of the Gambling Regulation Bill as part of this year’s Justice Plan of the country just a few months later, in April. The proposed piece of legislation includes a bunch of measures that aim at protecting local gamblers and preventing them from spending too much on gambling services.
If it is passed, the proposed ban would prohibit gambling advertising on radio, television, and audio-visual media services during the hours between 5:30 AM and 9:00 PM. The legislation aims at protecting children from the prevalent influence of gambling ads across a number of media platforms.
However, Irish bookmakers have shared their concerns regarding the gambling advertising ban with the country’s Minister for Justice Helen McEntree and Minister of State James Browne. The companies have warned that the provision in the bill could result in the interruption of live sports broadcasts that usually feature betting adverts, not to mention that gambling and sports betting companies’ logos and promotional materials are commonly seen in stadiums and on professional athletes’ shirts during sports events.
Several Horseracing Broadcasting Groups Share Concerns over Gambling Advertising Ban’s Effects on the Sector
The largest representative body of the bookmaking industry in Ireland – the Irish Bookmakers Association (IBA) – has highlighted the potential impact that the proposed gambling advertising ban will have on the English Premiership Soccer games, which are among the most-loved sports events in the Republic of Ireland. According to figures, other events, such as Aintree and Cheltenham, could also be affected due to the reduced visibility of bookmakers’ adverts to local viewers.
The Labour Party, on the other hand, has been calling for a full ban on gambling adverts, citing some concerns about the association of betting and sports, and potential gambling-related harm. According to Senator Mark Wall, the proposed restrictions on gambling advertising in the watershed between 5:30 AM and 9:00 PM are simply not sufficient enough, as gambling addiction is, unfortunately, not bound or limited to specific hours.
So far, the country’s Gambling Regulation Bill has passed the committee stage and is set to proceed to the report stage, at which Irish lawmakers will take the proposed amendments into consideration. Then, the piece of legislation is set to proceed toward the final stages in both houses of Parliament and if passed, it will be eventually enacted into law.
As previously reported by Casino Guardian, a couple of pay-TV broadcasters dedicated to horseracing – Racing TV and Sky Sports Racing – have already shared their concerns about the proposed ban. They warned that the potential implementation of further limitations to the sector could seriously hurt their operations’ viability in Ireland and called for an exemption for horseracing channels, saying that their subscription-based platforms already feature customer protection measures.
The parent company of Racing TV, Racecourse Media Group (RMG), has warned that the company’s service may become unviable in Ireland in case local lawmakers implement the proposed ban on gambling adverts. The company’s chief executive officer Martin Stevenson noted that TV coverage is extremely important for any sport, and losing its Ireland-facing dedicated racing channels could have an extremely negative impact on the sector.
- Author
Daniel Williams
