Minister James Browne. Image via X
The Gambling Regulation Bill has been passed. A day we have all been talking about, speculating about, and thinking about since we were established in 2018.
It’s great news and so very welcome after such a long time in the making. In the days ahead as it is reviewed and examined, there will be lots of commentary and lots of points made about flaws and failings, but for many organisations and people, like us, it is a welcome start to another journey which will be its implementation.
We are confident that the powers granted to the Regulator and the GRAI will enable them to iron out any creases that exist as the Bill stands, the Minister has provided for a lot of latitude to make necessary and important changes where needs be, and this is encouraging.
Minister James Browne has demonstrated incredible tenacity and dedication in bringing this very complex piece of legislation forward and we know there has been considerable effort on the part of his office to make this a reality in the lifetime of this government.
The ethos of the Bill that we are primarily concerned with is the express effort to ensure vulnerable people are considered and protected. Of course, the regulation of the industry is incredibly important, and we believe the Bill will impose strict regulatory controls which are to be welcomed. The whole industry will be reformed under the conditions of this legislation, which means non-compliant operators, and those who endeavour to flaunt the rules will be taken to heel and penalised, they can be shut down or effectively crippled with significant fines. Unscrupulous practices from industry operators with no care for customer safety will no longer be tolerated which is incredibly important in terms of player safety.
The watershed ban on advertising will see a serious curtailment on the saturation levels of gambling advertising we are all currently exposed to which will automatically protect children, young people and those vulnerable to gambling harm.
Our position has always been that gambling addiction is a public health issue and it is important to note, at this particular time in the evolution of this legislation, that the board of the Gambling Awareness Trust took the unpopular decision back in 2018 to accept the voluntary funding from the gambling industry in Ireland to respond to the needs of people in communities across the country who were experiencing the devastating effects of harmful gambling and gambling addiction. At the time, they considered waiting for legislation and the proposed Social Impact Fund but decided not to wait to respond to and meet the needs of individuals and families in our society with much criticism. It is clearly safe to say they made the right decision. Six years later, the Gambling Awareness Trust has enabled a range of services to meet the needs of thousands of vulnerable people and their families to recover from gambling addiction.
The Bill may not be perfect, but it is a positive start. We are looking forward to working with the Regulator and the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland where we can continue to make a difference and effect change in the gambling landscape in Ireland.
Here’s what our Brand Ambassador Oisín McConville, a long time advocate for industry regulation has to say…
