Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Paul McDermott for his views on track and field events at Rio last year. We came home with some very good results. I remember watching television one evening and seeing an Irishman in the diving finals. It was a great achievement. I am also a big supporter of the cyclists. We did not come home with our weight in gold, but I will come back to the earlier question. In his closing remarks, Mr. Galvin made a good point concerning sports policy, public health promotion, social integration, cultural identity, education, job creation and building relationships with the new Irish.

I want to ask about gambling, which has become interlinked with sport. Young people have told me that it is getting out of hand, especially with the use of mobile phones. One can sit down on a Saturday afternoon in the company of a few hundred people who may not know one is on the phone gambling big time. It is a concern that young people, including teenagers, are getting caught up in gambling. What can we do about it because they do go hand in hand? A bet is a bet, be it on horse racing, athletics or matches. Where do we stand as regards addressing the issue of gambling? What regulations do sporting bodies have to give us in order to make a start? Sometimes one can see that it is even arising among players.