Ireland to implement new gambling regulations

The perception of Ireland as having a laissez-faire attitude towards gambling is about to change. 

Bill passed, new regulatory body established

Last week the Gambling Regulation Bill 2022 was passed by the Dáil Éireann. Significant change is on the agenda with a clear focus on tightening up all elements of the industry. Criminal and illegal activities are firmly in the sights of the soon-to-be-established Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI). 

Minister of State, James Browne, said:

”The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland will have the necessary enforcement powers to enable it to take appropriate and focused action where providers are failing to comply with the provisions of the Authority’s licensing terms, conditions and regulations.”

Public protection key

Protecting the public – not only from illegal activities, but also gambling harms – will also be high on the GRAI agenda. It’s estimated by some agencies that 1 in 30 adults in Ireland display problematic behaviour when it comes to gambling. Browne:  

“My officials and I have engaged in extensive consultation with … professionals working in the area of problem gambling, persons adversely affected by the consequences of gambling and those with lived experience of problem gambling. We have worked hard to get this right and the position taken in the proposed legislation has been robustly reinforced by the findings of a comprehensive ESRI study on problem gambling.”

Heading a board of 7, Anne Marie Caulfield, CEO Designate of the GRAI said of the Bill: 

“(it) introduces a number of additional measures to protect people who participate in gambling and provides for the creation of a Social Impact Fund, which will be used to finance research and related initiatives to address problem gambling behaviours, to support awareness–raising and educational measures and to support problem gambling treatment activities.”

Caulfield summarised the new body’s overarching objectives succinctly: 

“...the establishment of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland will ensure a well-regulated gambling sector while protecting the public from gambling harms… I am determined to ensure that licensees operate in accordance with the legislation while also fulfilling our mandate to establish safeguards to address problem gambling. We are also committed to engaging with stakeholders as we establish this new regulatory regime for Ireland’s gambling and gaming sector.”

Challenges

However, as the industry grows in Ireland, online gambling increasingly becomes the channel of choice and the rise of illegal activities and problem gambling continues to impact the industry  the GRAI will undoubtedly have its challenges. The Bill and the establishment of the body are important and positive moves that can only have a positive effect, long-term. However, a robust approach to the challenges will send a positive message, industry-wide.