Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 17 April 2019
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality
Regulation of Gambling Sector: Discussion
Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I am conscious of time and some of the issues I wanted to raise have already been raised. It is appropriate to commend Deputy Jack Chambers on the work he has done in this area. I am probably the only person here who was a member of the previous Oireachtas justice committee. At that stage, the then Chairman, the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, did a body of work in this area. I know of his personal commitment. Sometimes when dealing with the Government there are pressing priorities. The Minister of State has been shouting extremely hard.
The Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill passed Second Stage in the Seanad last night and will move on to Committee Stage pretty quickly. This is an avenue we can use to deal with some of the concerns. I would welcome the Minister of State's return to the committee when we could discuss further his views on a gambling regulatory authority. I would prefer this to be done right over 18 months, using best international examples to merge what works well in other countries into one authority that can be among the best in the world. Gambling is an addiction and is becoming an even bigger problem. It is very difficult to regulate given that much of it is now online.