Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 33:

In page 41, between lines 33 and 34, to insert the following:“38. The Minister shall, within 3 months of the enactment of this Act, lay before both Houses
of the Oireachtas a report on measures that will be undertaken to protect vulnerable people from engaging in harmful gambling and the manner in which remote betting intermediaries must assist in this.”.

I deeply regret that we are not taking the gambling control Bill in parallel with the Betting (Amendment) Bill, a point that has been made a number of times this evening. We are all well aware that an addiction to gambling can cause devastating societal consequences, in some cases, so we should deal with that issue now. Gambling legislation is just as important as increasing revenue for the State through betting activity. I ask the Minister of State to convey to Government that we need the gambling control Bill brought forward as quickly as possible. We will all propose specific measures that will help address the issue and Deputy Spring mentioned an innovative proposal. There are many more proposals that need to be actively considered. I withdraw my amendment but ask the Minister of State to convey my message.