Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

With regard to the closure of bookmakers and not seeing an immediate effect, the Minister will be aware that when a business is going down, it does not just shut overnight. It tries to pull through the storm and perhaps can leave it too late to close down and end up in a worse position. Hopefully, that is not happening.

Mention has been made here about behavioural change, behavioural attitudes and rural Ireland. We have gone through serious issues with the recent Road Traffic Act whereby we have seen pubs closing down and now there are very few pubs open during the day in many towns and villages. People have turned towards their local bookmaker's office to sit down and watch the racing or to have a chat with their friends and so on. I have come across this. I have seen people who I believed had no interest in horses using the bookmaker's office as a place of communication. More important, I would rather see people betting in the bookies than going home to the armchair, having a few bottles and betting online. It is unknown what is happening behind closed doors in many houses because of the change in attitude towards rural Ireland and how we acknowledge its traditions. Will the Minister conduct the review?

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