Arthur Spring (Kerry North-West Limerick, Labour) | Oireachtas source

A couple of us over here did not get the tip.

For the most part, what is contained in this Bill is to be supported. There are a couple of issues that need to be raised, however, particularly in respect of gambling. I have raised this matter in the debate on the Betting (Amendment) Bill. I realise that some of the funding from online betting is going towards HRI and Bord na gCon. When an individual walks into a betting shop and places a bet, he does so with cash. There is no capacity to run credit or use one's credit card. Likewise, when one goes to a racetrack, one walks up to the bookmaker of one's choice, having looked at the prices, and makes a bet accordingly in cash. The notion that one could gamble using credit is one I do not approve of at all. It lends itself to a form of addiction that can result in the loss of one's life's savings. One could lose more than one's life's savings in that one could go into enormous debt as a result of the ability to use credit cards. I approve of the concept of debit cards in the facilitation of gambling but believe it is not appropriate to have a credit card as the modus operandi. There is a litany of stories throughout this country of people who lost everything they ever had and some more owing to a gambling addiction, with the consequence of their being in debt to credit card companies and banks.

Many people are employed in the online gambling business. I support the business. For the most part, people can contain their online gambling, and they regard it as fun to back their own team or horse. They get a little enjoyment from it. However, when gambling becomes a problem, it is incumbent upon those who provide licences to bookmakers, be they online or otherwise, to operate prudently and in the best interest of society overall and look after the punter or gambler.

There are a couple of other points I would like to raise. Some 80% of the funding is to go to HRI and 20% is to go to Bord na gCon. The Minister is responsible for both areas. In my area, Kerry, we are more into dogs than horses. According to the breeders' and owners' associations, prize funds have become so low that people are moving away from the industry. The industry provides a good social outlet. Dog racing is a tourist attraction in Tralee, where one sees tour buses going by on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday nights. However, we need to have races of a high quality. In order to have them, we need to inject money into the industry. I would like to see the money invested in prize funds more than in administration and meeting organisational running costs. I admit there has been streamlining but the money needs to go to the prize funds as the first port of call.

With regard to horse racing, Killarney is well supported. Listowel is also very well supported. Unfortunately, during the downturn the racecourse in Tralee ended up being mothballed. There is nothing more than a couple of point-to-point meetings and some coursing meetings taking place there.

There is a wonderful stand and facilities in a county that might not be as synonymous with horse racing as that of my colleague, Deputy Jack Wall, from Kildare. However, people like Jim Culloty and Bryan Cooper have played a prestigious role in the industry at all times.

I wish to highlight a couple of other things. Some 17,000 people are employed in the industry. It could be improved, however, and we could do more to support the industry's exporting capacity. We have developed a small number of breeders who have dominated hurdle activities in recent years. It was a sport that was open to most farmers of a decent size and I would like to see the sport going back in that direction.

The idea of horse-owning syndicates was promoted seven, eight or nine years ago. I know we have some participants in the House. It was a great way of getting the average person involved in horse racing and it brought forward the entertainment side of it. People followed the horse or dog as the case may be and that should be promoted by Horse Racing Ireland as well. For the most past I support what is in this Bill. I am just conveying some ideas, particularly around gambling where I would prefer to see the use of debit cards rather than credit cards. I have discussed this matter with the Minister for Finance but perhaps the Minister, Deputy Coveney, could advance it.

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