Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013. I suppose some people will say this is another advance for the nanny state, that it is taxing the working man, that there are few pleasures left in life, that it started off taxing the pint and now it will tax bets. However, it is welcome we are bringing forward this legislation to tax online bookies and betting exchanges. I suppose, like other speakers, I have listened out for comment on this debate but I have not heard any moral or economic arguments that these services should remain outside the tax net. The big question people will ask following the introduction of this legislation is why it was not introduced years ago. I do not know if there were difficulties, if there was a lack of political will or if this Government sees this as a potential cash cow. I would like to think the Government recognises the difficulties and dangers and that more people in society are being sucked into gambling.

As other speakers said, the Department of Justice and Equality is working on a gambling control Bill which will deal with many of the issues affecting those who are addicted to gambling. As previous speakers have said and speakers who will follow me will say, many people will not understand why we are separating the two Bills. It will cause difficulties. We are possibly talking about next year before the gambling control Bill is introduced, which is a big negative in this regard.

I support the Bill which is of the utmost importance because gambling addition has negatively affected thousands of families in Ireland. I do not believe there is anyone in this House who does not know a family or an individual who has not been affected by gambling. This is of the utmost importance because gambling addition is on the increase. I do not know whether that is due to easier access.

A number of years ago, in particular in the Dublin area, we had the one-arm bandit gambling machines but they are not seen as much around the city because legislation was passed by the local authorities to ban them. In the 1970s and 1980s, we had the slot machines and the poker machines.

I remember during the 1970s and 1980s, many pubs had a gambling machine - a slot machine or poker machine - in the corner. Unfortunately, these machines are popping up once again in many public houses and places where people gather. I have been calling for a long time for legislation which would stop the glamorising of gambling. I am in favour of the introduction of a health warning with regard to gambling activities and the provision of increased supports to gambling addicts.

Gambling is a choice. I am aware that many people enjoy placing modest bets. It must be emphasised that many people from all walks of society have gambling problems that have a negative effect on their families and loved ones. We all know of cases of people who are addicted to gambling. I have seen people gambling their entire wages on games of snooker, poker or football. The advent of online gambling - others have spoken about gambling applications - makes it much easier for people to engage in this activity. When one went into certain pubs in Dublin many years ago, when there was a lack of gambling opportunities in the neighbourhood, one would see someone in the corner who was willing to take bets and bring them on. While this is another example of something that has faded away, one can still see bookie dockets in many places right across Ireland as agreements with local bookies are still in place to facilitate gambling. While it is right that a big debate is taking place about the drinks industry's association with sport, I cannot understand why the same level of concern is not being expressed as part of a discussion about gambling and sport. Other Deputies have spoken about the advertisements that appear during the break in a football match. We are reminded that a certain player was 2/1 to score the first goal, and that one could have won a certain amount of money by backing him to do so. All of this sucks people into the gambling culture. It is almost as if the football match is a separate matter.

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