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Cabinet to sign off on bill with strict gambling ads ban

/ 15th November 2022 /
BP Reporter

A strict ban on gambling ads between 5.30am and 9pm will be signed off by Cabinet today as part of a major reform of the industry.

Cabinet will approve the Gambling Regulation Bill that regulates all aspects of gambling for the first time.

The legislation is a major blow to the gambling industry, which lobbied intensely to resist large parts of the reform. The Irish Bookmakers Association (IBA) warned the Oireachtas Justice Committee earlier this year that such a move could lead to a "blanket ban on sponsorship at stadiums and racetracks etc" which would lead to the revenue leaving the country.

Under the legislation, gambling companies will not be permitted to offer any inducements to punters such as VIP treatment, special odds or hospitality.

Betting giant Flutter, the parent company of Paddy Power and Betfair, unsuccessfully argued that they should be able to retain VIP services, having insisted that they would be able to identify problem gamblers and not target them with such inducements.

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Credit cards will also be banned under the new measures, which are expected to become law by next summer.

The legislation, which is the first modernisation of gambling law in more 70 years, will give strong enforcement powers to the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA).

A chief designate of the GRA Anne Marie Caulfield was appointed at the start of September and has begun the process of recruiting staff. Ms Caulfield previously served as chief of the Residential Tenancies Board.

One Government source said: "When the legislation is passed, there will be no delay in the office becoming operational."

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Under the legislation, gambling companies will not be permitted to offer any inducements to punters such as VIP treatment, special odds or hospitality.

The GRA will have strong powers of enforcement with general breaches carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison or fines of up to €20million or 10% of turnover, whichever is higher.

Breaches of the law involving children will carry a heavier penalty, with a maximum sentence of up to eight years in prison.

Children will be prohibited from entering a gambling establishment while responsibility will lie with betting companies to ensure children are not using online services.

Customers will have to 'opt-in' to receive gambling advertising on social media.

The legislation will also have anti-money laundering and anti-terror financing provisions.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee will bring a memo to Cabinet this morning.

The legislation will also give rise to the establishment of a social fund. The mandatory levy on gambling institutions, based on their turnover, will be used to fund education, awareness and treatment for gambling addiction.

Irish punters gamble an estimated €1.36billion annually, making us the fourth biggest gamblers in the EU, according to figures released last year.

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