Anne Ferris (Wicklow, Labour) | Oireachtas source

One of the few times I ventured into a bookmaker's shop was when my namesake, Anne Ferris, rode the winner of the Irish Grand National in 1984. While I cannot remember what I did with my winnings, I remember remarking at the time that there were not many women customers in the shop, despite the fact we had just had the first female winner of the country's greatest horse race. For some reason, bookmaker's shops mainly attract male customers, despite the dire warnings issued by a fellow parliamentarian in June 1931 when debating the legislation that is being amended in this Bill. Speaking on the 1931 Betting Bill, Independent Senator, William Barrington, was concerned about the risk legitimising betting shops would pose for the morals of Irish women. He stated the following:

Cases have been mentioned to me of most respectable men whose wives were bitten with this gambling craze. These men hand their wages to their wives; the women go to the betting offices; they neglect their children, their houses, and their husbands, and they keep betting all day.

From the point of view of the morals of women, the words of Senator Barrington make me smile a little. Similar warnings echoed through this House during debates on other controversial legislation that would purportedly destroy society as we know it but subsequently failed to do so. The legislation on contraception and divorce and, most recently, on the protection of the lives of pregnant women all passed through the House without the roof caving in. Debate on other ostensibly controversial legislation, such as measures to grant access to adoption records and give gay people the right to marry, will undoubtedly follow the same pattern in time.

There is, however, one aspect of Senator Barrington's warning from the past that we should not ignore. Gambling is addictive and families often endure serious pain and suffering because a breadwinner or carer is addicted to betting. Gamblers can become thieves to feed their addiction. The secrecy involved in gambling on the Internet in the privacy of one's home no doubt feeds the addiction of as many modern women as men. While it is probably the case that only a small percentage of Internet gamblers become addicts, online betting can do considerable damage. More openness and awareness of addiction is needed.

I welcome the proposal to extend the betting tax to Internet gambling. A portion of this revenue stream should be ring-fenced to fund addiction counselling and charities that do good work caring for the families of gambling addicts. Owing to the risk of addiction and the wider problems it creates in society, Irish betting legislation has always been cautious about children being involved in gambling. The Bill before us follows this pattern. Since the 1926 Betting Act and the subsequent Betting Act of 1931, bookmakers who accepted a bet from a child under 18 years committed an offence. The Bill goes further by also prohibiting the acceptance of a bet from a minor. It provides that where a 17 year old enters a bookmaker's shop pretending to be 18 years or older and places a bet, he or she will have committed an offence. While I agree with the spirit behind this measure, namely, the need to discourage and prevent young people from engaging in addictive behaviours, whether drinking, smoking or gambling, I am concerned that it criminalises young people.

I agree that the fault should not fall only on the bookmaker if a customer misrepresents himself or herself and a fine should be imposed for such behaviour. It is important, however, that we also create a general awareness of the way in which the fine is applied. As it will not be an on-the-spot fine of €60, if it is to be applied, the young person must be brought before a court and convicted. I would prefer if our legislation did not criminalise young people so readily. I accept, however, that there is no other way of managing this issue until we either legislate to allow gardaí to apply on-the-spot fines or require young people to carry identity cards at all times, as is the case in many other countries. I urge the Minister to take account of my reservations about this aspect of the Bill.

This is not the only legislation that can result in young people finding themselves convicted in courtrooms. Where possible, we must find new ways of dealing with minor offences under law. In this regard, I look forward to discussion and debate about methods of restorative justice and community service orders. I welcome the Bill and commend the Minister on its introduction.

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