Mr. John Roche:

My association represents arcades which were licensed under the 1956 Act and also those who hold a licence from the Revenue Commissioners under the 1992 Finance Act. As I pointed out, the situation is a mess. Effectively, one Act contradicts the other.

There is no difficulty for the Government or the Revenue Commissioners to identify where the arcades are which operate under the 1992 Act because they have licences issued under section 120 of the 1992 Act.

The reality is that neither the 1956 Act nor the Finance Act 1992 is viable in the operation of this business. I say this as someone who has a foot in both camps. The only solution to the problem is as contained in the Gambling Control Bill 2013, namely, the putting in place of a mechanism which will ensure applications to the OGCI for licences from those who hold certificates under the 1956 and 1992 Acts will only be successful if they meet the criteria set down. One is often surprised by the ones that do not meet the criteria.