Professor Colin O’Gara, who currently serves as St John of God Hospital’s consultant psychiatrist and head of addiction services, spoke with the Irish Examiner on the Government’s Gambling Regulation Bill 2022 and shared his concerns about how long it is taking for the new legislation to be implemented.
The bill has been in the works for several years now, but the Údarás Rialála Cearrbhachais na hÉireann (Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland) that is to demand accountability from the gambling sector is yet to be officially established, despite how last month it was revealed that the government has already spent over €2 million on the entity according to data provided by the Department of Justice. Among the measures that the regulator will be responsible for imposing is a pre-watershed ban, which will make it impossible for broadcasters to air gambling ads legally between 5:30 am and 9:00 pm.
Lobbying Against The Bill Has Been “Incessant”
The advertising ban has been hotly debated, which is one of the main factors that are to blame for the bill taking this long. Just last month, the Lower House voted on its implementation with regard to charities and whether they should be exempt from the ban, with more than half the voters being against such proposals. However, the Charities Institute Ireland announced in early May that during another debate, Minister of State at the Department of Justice James Browne said that amendments concerning exemption would be implemented.
In light of the above and other issues, Professor O’Gara stressed that Mr Browne has been subject to “non-stop, incessant pressure” by representatives of the gambling industry and others to make the regulations less harsh. According to Professor O’Gara, the “whole idea” of the gambling laws is for them to be implemented in a timely fashion, and he told the Irish Examiner that “it’s been too long.” He further added that gambling’s ever-increasing presence in Irish life is something he worried about despite recognising why Mr Browne made the decision regarding gambling ads made by charities. The bill’s potential dilution is another issue he is worried about.
Not All Proposals Will Be Amended
Promotions are also at stake in terms of legislation, which has served as another factor that the gambling sector has expressed concerns about. This March, Flutter’s CFO Paul Edgecliff-Johnson called for this plan to be abandoned in favour of more control over how promotions are advertised.
As for the watershed ban, industry players have also voiced objections to its coming to fruition as planned. The horse racing sector has been particularly concerned about how this will affect the sport, and television and streaming companies have even stressed that the ban would make it difficult or impossible for them to continue airing in Ireland. As the argument goes, the losses incurred from the ban would be too much for broadcasters.
While it seems Mr Browne did heed the concerns of charities and sports clubs, he has not backed down on many pieces of legislation that have been subject to pushback, and Professor O’Gara commended him for this. “This is the right thing to do,” he told the Irish Examiner.
- Author
Daniel Williams
