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

I welcome the Bill which I am aware is an interim measure as the Government intends, I hope, to bring forward much more fundamental legislation to regulate gambling. That is what is needed and what has been long promised. The gambling control Bill was drafted by then Minister, Alan Shatter, in 2013. The ongoing delay is very disappointing. Almost six years later, Private Members' legislation has been tabled and there is no end in sight, despite repeated promises being made by a number of Ministers. I accept that the Minister of State has an interest in the issue, but I am afraid progress is very slow.

In this legislation the placing of caps of €10 and €750 on stakes is welcome. I am aware that the Bill allows the Minister of State to amend these limits in the future. I hope it will be downwards rather than upwards. It is an important flexibility granted by the Bill and I hope it is one the Minister will use wisely. It is also important that the Minister engage regularly with those dealing with the consequences of problem gambling to see if the limits are having the desired effect and they should be subject to frequent review.

The fact that the Bill seeks to amend legislation dating from 1956 shows how little legislation has been introduced in this area during the years and how badly it is needed. The world of gambling has moved on dramatically in the last five years, never mind the last 65. There have been many iterations of change and development in that time, but it is an area that is developing more rapidly as time passes. Gambling has always been a problem and has always been with us, but online gambling has meant that it has become more hidden, pernicious, easier and affects a much larger category of people. The legislation that was required in 1956 compared to what is required in 2019 is worlds apart and as legislators we have much more to do in that regard.

We had the scheme of a Bill in the gambling control Bill in 2013. There were years of engagement with relevant bodies in the sector, with the report of the working group, but I was not entirely certain from the comments of the Minister of State in the Seanad in February in responding to a Private Members' motion whether the Government had accepted entirely the need for an independent, self-financing regulator-----

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