Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As my colleague mentioned, problem gambling has spiralled out of control. Thousands of lives have been ruined by a failure to regulate the gambling sector. I refer to families destroyed by lies, homes taken away because of massive debts and lives lost because of depression and suicide. We have 1930s-era laws for 2018 problems. When the current rules to control the gambling sector were drafted, most of the country did not even have electricity, never mind the Internet, mobile phones, instant gaming and 24-hour access to betting and gambling. This is how ludicrously far we have fallen behind. Decades of inaction and can-kicking have sowed chaos. It is a wild-west sector that has been left to regulate itself and play by its own rules.

Inaction has created a landscape whereby vulnerable people are at the mercy of multibillion euro profit-making corporations – a landscape where someone can gamble and lose €460,000 in 12 hours and where the only contact he receives in that period is a telephone call from the bookmaker to tell him the computer systems are down and to call him personally if he wants to place another bet. That is not acceptable in modern Ireland. The result of inaction has been devastating and the results are plain to see. We have the third highest rate of gambling losses in the world. Gambling losses in Ireland totalled €2.1 billion in 2016. Some €14 million is gambled every day. The sector's biggest firms predict €400 million and €500 million surpluses every year. The industry-touted figure is that there are approximately 40,000 problem gamblers in Ireland. The Institute of Public Health in Ireland puts the figure at over 100,000. Treatment centres and addiction counselling services tell us that for every one gambling addict, ten lives are affected. This means that we have allowed gambling to spiral so far out of control, it could be affecting up to 1 million people.

This legislation, if enacted, will be successful in restoring control to the sector and helping problem gamblers. The key aspect of the Bill is that it is adaptive and flexible and will be able to respond and react, as required, through an office for gambling regulation that will be fully empowered and well resourced. This is needed to stay on top of an ever-changing industry, which is moving from dimly lit betting shops to behind computer screens and mobile phones, on which the chance to win is always within touching distance, 24-7.

The Bill draws a lot of what was first proposed in heads of a Bill in 2013. It is disappointing that we have wasted the time since 2013 and that new legislation is only now being introduced. This Bill is not out of date, however, and was recently scrutinised by Dr. Crystal Fulton, who found that it is suitable, subject to minor changes. Amendments, as required, can be considered on Committee Stage, and we hope to work with the Government and all the other political parties on that. It is in keeping with what has happened in other countries. The UK, Spain, Australia, Sweden and Canada all have gambling regulatory authorities similar to the one proposed. This Bill is almost 100 pages long and contains eight sections that cover everything from licensing and codes of practice to tackling money-laundering and international co-operation. It includes the establishment of a social fund to support problem gamblers and the introduction of better staff training to identify problems. In addition, it would impose strict age restrictions.

Another very important aspect of the Bill is a new self-exclusion registrar to operate across platforms where people can affectively opt out of gambling for a time. This registrar could be overseen by the regulator's office and would be crucial to someone who self-identifies as having a problem and is taking the extra step to get the help and support he needs.

I thank and pay tribute to my colleagues, Deputies Rabbitte and O'Callaghan, along with Mr. Kevin Dillon in the research office, for their work in drafting this Bill. I thank Mr. Barry Grant from Problem Gambling Ireland for his work in this area and the Rutland Centre and Cuan Mhuire treatment centres for their help and support. Mr. Tony O'Reilly and Mr. Davy Glennon both gave powerful testimonies in the audiovisual room last week and they deserve great credit for outlining how, having struggled, they overcame their addictions.

The experiences of those who have been victims of legislative inaction must be learned from and used for the better. The industry also has a role to play. We understand that it is largely supportive of the proposed law. It should work to see this legislation facilitated and progressed. It should not replicate the actions of some in the alcohol industry in trying to block and impede legislation. It is important that the Bill moves forward with urgency. We need to restore control in what is a wild-west sector. The Minister of State, as a former Chairman of the justice committee, is genuine about seeing gambling regulations progressed. We look forward to working with him in the interest of addicts.

See this speech in context