Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the introduction of the Bill and commend the Minister of State and the Department for the work they have done. It is an important step in curbing the issue of problem gambling and will allow for greater regulation of the gambling market. It is not a new phenomenon unfortunately. It has become a ubiquitous part of sport in Ireland, whether it is horse racing or field sports such as rugby, GAA or others. Even general elections are not exempt from the gambling advertisers: the Minister of State should consider passing an amendment to ensure that those who win on such bets should pass a portion of it on to the candidate on whom they won. I can think of a couple of people who have won significant sums on me over the years and never so much as bought me a pint. They shall remain nameless for the purposes of this debate.

For many people gambling is an infrequent affair. Many enjoy a punt on various events throughout the year. However, there was always a significant group of people who were vulnerable to developing an addiction to gambling. This is compounded by the advent of smart phones and gambling apps. Anyone can bet in almost any sort of sporting event in the world from the comfort of their own home with the press of a button. That allows some people to gamble far more than they should and far more than should be deemed responsible. Sadly it allows for some to gamble their way into financial ruin affecting their livelihoods and those of their families. The pace at which these scenarios can be reached is breath-taking. Moreover, it also affects young people, many of whom fall victim to gambling addiction at an early age. That can have a long-lasting effect on their lives. Therefore, this Bill is not only necessary but overdue.

In regard to the point mentioned by my colleague, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, on the sponsorship of events and championships, I cannot help but agree with him. This is something on which I and other members of the Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality in the 31st Dáil did a good deal of work in regard to public hearings on the matter. It would be remiss of me not to mention its chairman and current Deputy, David Stanton, who did significant work on this matter. We are at the point where it should not just be children’s sponsorship opportunities that are removed from the possibility of being sponsored by a gambling organisation. It should be removed outright. As Deputy Ó Ríordáin said, and I concur with him, this is as damaging to lives and livelihoods and tobacco and alcohol are. If we are going to remove those two other products from the opportunity to sponsor such events then I believe we should do so outright. I agree with him in that regard. I accept, acknowledge and support the establishment of the Independent Gambling Regulatory Authority as a significant step that will help us bring far more transparency and oversight to the gambling market. The Bill will also allow for the development of a fund to assist those with gambling problems and related matters.

However, we should also pay attention to limiting factors that we can implement in order to intervene before someone develops a gambling problem in the first place. Specifically I am speaking with regard to advertising watersheds, restricting online advertising and the location of gambling premises to maintain a distance from young populations such as schools, and to provide prohibition on children working in such environments. I am therefore pleased that this Bill will progress these issues.

I also welcome the inclusion of the prohibition on the use of credit cards for the purposes of gambling. This is an important inclusion that can limit the ability of vulnerable persons to run up large gambling-related debts. I also wish to draw attention to in-app games, many of which exist in gambling apps. I include the National Lottery app in this particular remark, which I recognise and believe is not included in this Bill. These games frequently require an entry fee to play at varying levels. They also use colourful graphics and a number of sound effects. We all know from whistleblowers in the social media sphere that these are often methods used to get people to return to these particular apps. I believe that more clarity and regulation can be brought to these digital games, which can see people invest significant sums of money in a short amount of time. We must also be aware that there are those who have multiple gambling accounts across different gambling platforms. There is a need for greater co-ordination and co-operation with gambling providers in order to limit the risk to consumers. I recognise this Bill will not solve every aspect of problem gambling. However, with the timely delivery of various sections of this Bill, sufficient resourcing and the implementation of intervention processes as well as educational campaigns across all levels of society about the dangers of problem gambling, we can see the beginning of a real reduction in problem gambling.

I commend the Minister of State for his work on the Bill as well as the previous Oireachtas committees which have worked on this area. I have already mentioned my colleague, Deputy Stanton. The Bill will make the gambling sector fairer and more transparent and provide for more regulation. I look forward to its passage into law.

I impress upon the Minister of State that if the opportunity arises, notwithstanding the significant work that he, the Department and others have done to bring this Bill together, that serious consideration be once and for all brought to bear, legislatively, with regard to the sponsorship of large-scale sporting events and that these insidious and often extremely damaging organisations that are perfectly entitled to sell a product but do not necessarily have to do so in such an “in your face” manner. A study carried out on the premier league in the UK recently found something in the order of 14 television advertisements for betting companies during half time of a popular derby game. That shows how insidious it has become.

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