Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Tá seans ann go rachaidh mé ar aghaidh beagáinín níos faide ná 15 bhomaite. Níl a fhios agam faoi na daoine eile. I commend Deputies Jim O'Callaghan, Jack Chambers and Anne Rabbitte for this timely and important legislation. Our betting legislation is from the 1930s and 1950s and has been out of date for a long time. I note what the Minister of State said and it is welcome that the Bill is not being opposed. However, his speech contained the statement that the Government is debating a Government general scheme of the Gambling Control Bill published in 2013, which the proposers have essentially replicated. It is not that we have been dealing with a succession of Governments since 2013. It has essentially been the same Government. We have seen very little progress on this issue and very little explanation even in the Minister of State's speech. The fact that there has been very little explanation as to why there has been so little progress with this legislation was raised by a number of Deputies. The former Minister, Alan Shatter, brought forward heads of Bill which broadly speaking were relatively progressive but since then, it has sat on the shelf. It is difficult to understand why this has happened. Reference has been made to whether there was opposition in the Department, the industry or sectors of the industry. Why has there been no progress on this Bill because it seems a no-brainer to me that this society should acknowledge the enormous issue surrounding gambling in this country? Deputies are all too familiar with the devastation caused to families by addiction.

As other Deputies have said, it is fair to say that there is nothing necessarily wrong with having a bet but much like alcohol, it needs to be done in moderation, if at all. We are perhaps more conscious of the harm done by alcohol and cigarettes and restrictions have been placed on alcohol and there are health warnings and legislation relating to its abuse. There is a greater attempt to tackle cultural attitudes around its abuse and misuse. We certainly have a long road to travel but there has been some progress. I do not believe this has been replicated with gambling. The impact of it is enormous and extends far beyond the individual who suffers from addiction. A person can spend everything in their bank account, overdraw and lose everything they have. In particular, the case of Tony O'Reilly is in the public consciousness at the minute. It is quite difficult to fathom for anybody who has not suffered that addiction but it is important to understand it as an addiction and affliction. That case, the scale of the problems people can get into and the devastation it can cause families are replicated throughout the country. In many cases, it is an addiction that is less visible than drug or alcohol abuse. It is fair to say that it is ever-present. It has always created problems in terms of addiction but it has never been as visible as it is now with the opportunities that exist and advertising, whether one is watching something on television or online. There are probably more teams in the UK Premiership sponsored by gambling companies than there are parties in this House and that is saying something.

The general scheme was essentially an outline of what was to be included in the Bill so I would like to hear the Minister of State tell us the explanation for the delay and the progress being made. When this was scheduled, I had a quick look at what the Government had been saying or doing on this topic over the past few years. There has been announcement after announcement in response to any issues that have arisen and always a hat tip to this general scheme. The Minister of State should outline what is the resistance.

I make one point regarding the structure of the Bill. It proposes to place what would be a very welcome office of gambling control under the auspices of the Department of Justice and Equality. I think there are views that it should be an independent Vote so that it would make the case directly to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. There is a case for that. It is important that an office is placed on an independent footing outside of political and lobbying influence enabling it to do its job independent of any lobbying or pressure.

Very often with moves to regulate not just gambling, but things such as alcohol, the regular refrain is the implication for jobs, the implication for the Exchequer and so on. That is political pressure that can be brought to bear. While I do not say they are not real considerations, it is important that the office of gambling control has as its first priority the public good and public health. Its independence is important for that.

The proposal for player protection and social funding is interesting and is certainly workable. It could have any amount of uses. In all these things it is important that the playing field is as level as possible for all different sectors. There could be standardisation of checks for physical betting outlets, casinos and so on. The social fund could be put to good use there. It could also be used for public awareness.

The Bill provides for the creation of a self-exclusion register and sets out rules for advertising promotions and sponsorship. I presume that is in response to concerns expressed in the media about the increased dangers associated with gambling in an environment that is not fully regulated. This register would be beneficial if there is common access among similar organisations if it is possible to address that. It may be a complicated matter but there may be a value in somebody self-excluding and they self-exclude from gambling generally speaking. I am not sure if that would be workable but it is worthy of consideration.

As a member of the GAA I commend that organisation on its recent mature decision not to permit teams to use gambling-related advertising. That is important and shows good leadership.

The legislation also requires service licence holders to commit resources for funding and operating a scheme for dealing with customer complaints and compensating customers, which is welcome.

The objectives of the Gambling Control Bill are outlined as ensuring fairness in the conduct of gambling; the protection of vulnerable persons, including children, from risks to their well-being arising from gambling; and the avoidance of circumstances where gambling could inadvertently or otherwise facilitate or enable criminal or illegal activity and other issues. That is welcome.

I make a point I intend to make in tomorrow's debate on the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) (Amendment) Bill. We need to be conscious that gambling may be used for money laundering and our money laundering legislation needs to take account of that.

The existing Acts of 1931 and 1953 are absolutely archaic and deal with a completely different time and completely different sector. Even in recent years the emergence of online gambling means that people can instantaneously transfer funds into a gambling account straight from a bank account at the touch of button. The current legislation does not reflect the protections we need. It is an enormous social problem creating very serious situations for individuals and families across the country, absolutely destroying some families. We have sat on this for too long. The Bill contains strong proposals and we owe it to the public to act.

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