Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Kenny observed that currently there is a lot of focus in all forms of media on high-profile victims of gambling addiction, the ease of online gambling and so on. It is a societal issue which needs to be reflected on at Government level. It does not fall specifically within the remit of my Department but is something we all wish to tackle. The online industry has a role to play, including by finding ways to identify where individuals are gambling excessively. There are best practices that can be applied in this regard and the industry must take the lead in the matter. The reality, however, is that we cannot halt the advance of technologies. Online media are now the platform of preference for most people when it comes to betting, as reflected in the yield from the levy. There are arguments for increasing the levy from 1% to 2% or higher. On the other hand, there is the argument that the dividend from online gambling should be made more widely available to other beneficiaries. That is a debate for another occasion. A revenue stream from the online platform is now in place and I have no doubt it will continue to grow. In terms of the taxation changes that might be envisaged, that is an issue for the Minister for Finance in the first instance.

Reference was made to integrity, which is an objective we all share. We now have sufficient reports from consultants and so on, together with the wisdom of this committee, numerous public commentators and people who have spoken to the committee and to me. It is time now to seek to address these issues. Legislation can only go so far but it is necessary, nevertheless, to ensure Bord na gCon is equipped with all the necessary legislative tools. That is the aim of the Bill we intend to bring forward.