The plans related to suspension of so-called gambling arcades from being offered in towns and villages across County Cork in Ireland have been postponed after the local Council received a legal advice on the matter which did not seem to have helped it a lot.
The members of Charleville/Fermoy municipal district council had demonstrated their interest in widening legislation banning gaming arcades, which was first used by the former Fermoy Town Council in the 1980s. As The Irish Examiner reported, an application for a gambling arcade has recently been made in Fermoy, but it applies only for the outer parts of the town, where the legislation banning gambling arcade is not in place. However, local people widely objected to the application, which was eventually rejected by An Bord Pleanála.
Several other applications for operating gambling arcades in other towns have been filed over the last few weeks. However, the district council of the municipality is aimed at preventing such applications from being filed by widening the regulation made by local authorities in Fermoy which are set to cover the entire territory of the county.
The council’s members had asked senior county council officials to take their proposal into consideration under Part 3 of the Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1976.
Noel McCarthy, a councillor of Fine Gael, asked for an update on the progress of the aforementioned applications, highlighting the fact that local people did not want those gaming arcades. According to the information he received from a senior county council official, the legal advice received on the matter have provoked more questions than providing answers. The officials also explained that as a result of the legal advice, they are set to seek some guidance from several government departments. Mr. McCarthy shared his disappointment with the reply, saying that getting an answer so slowly was unacceptable.
Lack of Adequate Laws Blamed for Problem Gambling Increase
Gaming arcades and unlicensed casino-style machines have recently become one of the hottest topics in Ireland after an investigation initiated by The Times found that certain types of gambling terminals in Dublin had been operated without the required licenses, which was constituted as a violation of the country’s gambling legislation. For the time being, casino-style machines are banned in Dublin.
Back in June, information emerged that the number of illegal casino-style machines situated in Dublin has been constantly increasing. As mentioned above, such arcades and casinos offering arcade games have been operating in violation of city council directive and Revenue rules due to the fact that casino-style machines are currently banned under the gambling regulatory rules.
The worst part is probably the fact that there has not been any adequate gambling regulation for some time now. The fact that Ireland’s gambling laws have not been amended in a way that would make them more up-to-date to make sure they fit the constant development of the gambling sector not only in the country but also worldwide. According to anti-gambling campaigners, the lack of any updates made to the Irish gambling legislation has affected local people tremendously, leading to a massive increase in the number of problem gamblers across the country.
- Author
Olivia Cole
