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

They are for all three speakers. Having read a considerable number of the submissions, I want to focus on three areas, the first of which is virtual gaming and betting. I am concerned, in particular, about horse racing and track meets. I have also observed virtual racing games being played on screens in betting shops in the United Kingdom. I do not know whether they are prevalent in Ireland. Is it appropriate to license these games in the same way as other forms of track meets?

The Irish Bookmakers Association and others referred to hours of business, particularly on Good Friday and Christmas Day. Is it feasible to prohibit on-line providers from offering these services? If, for example, an Irish user of Netflix can simply change DNS server to an American based server, how difficult would it be for a user of a betting website to simply change IP address in order to access a UK, French or American site on days when on-line gaming is not permitted? I am not necessarily looking for a solution to this problem, but I would appreciate the delegates' observations.

In regard to the social aspect of those who have difficulties with gambling, the social fund was mentioned by a number of speakers. I ask the delegates to set out their views in more detail. Unfortunately, I missed the opportunity to visit Betfair's offices, but I understand from my colleagues that they had an interesting overview of its operations. I am particularly interested in hearing Betfair's views, given the number of people it employs.