Irish Gambling Regulation Bill set to be approved by cabinet

The Irish Gambling Regulation Bill will be brought before the cabinet today and is expected to be approved in the biggest change to legislation in the country since the 1950s. The approval of the bill will see the creation of the Gambling Regulatory Authority for the first time. It will focus on public safety and wellbeing, covering both land-based and online gambling. A CEO has already been appointed in the shape of civil servant Anne Marie Caulfield. Caulfield was appointed by the Irish government on a four-year term in September, with the regulator set to commence work in 2023. As well as setting up the regulator, the legislation will introduce a range of measures to protect consumers, problem gamblers and vulnerable users. Among the new measures is a blanket ban on gambling advertising on TV and radio between 5:30am and 9pm every day, with the ads required not to be attractive to children. There will also be prohibitions on allowing children into premises where gambling occurs and protections to ensure children are denied access to remote or online gambling. Other rules include a ban on all gambling enticements such as hospitality, VIP treatment, free bets and special offers. The legislation will follow the UK’s lead and ban credit card gambling. It will also give rise to the establishment of a social fund, which will be a mandatory levy on gambling firms based on turnover, which would fund education, awareness and treatment for gambling harm. Fines of up to €20m (£17.6m) could be issued as part of the new regulator’s remit. There will also be anti-money laundering and anti-terror financing provisions in the bill as well. The arrival of new regulation is seen as a major blow to the operators in Ireland, as many have lobbied intensely to resist large parts of the reform. The Irish Bookmakers Association warned the Oireachtas Justice Committee that this move could lead to a blanket ban on sponsorship at stadiums and racetracks, which would lead to the loss of revenue in the country. Flutter tried arguing that they should be able to retain VIP services, saying that it would be able to identify those at risk and not offer them such inducements, but this argument proved unsuccessful. Minister for Justice Helen McEntee will bring a memo to cabinet this morning.