Dáil debates

Wednesday, 4 December 2019

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages

 

6:25 pm

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

Several people on the community and voluntary side, and people in the profit-making bingo organisations and the halls that are run for profit, have said this to me. It may well be the case that some of the smaller bingo operations will not be affected adversely by the legislation but it is the case that there are bingo operations that fall into the larger category and have pots over the threshold. It is the case potentially that some of them are community based. It is also the case that some of them are profit-based. We are all more inclined to support charitable community-based bingo and with good reason. Many bingo operations started in this way. As far as I am aware, it is not the intention of the Department to make it difficult for the profit-making venues to operate. There are many such venues and they employ a lot of people. I appreciate it is not the intention but it appears to be the case that under the legislation it will be difficult to run these premises and to run a community or voluntary operation with a very large pot as it would require the prize money to be under 50%.

I was not in the Chamber at the time but I understand the Minister has accepted recommittal of the Bill and that is welcome. A very constructive and sensible proposition was raised previously by Deputy Martin Kenny. This is that the 25% charitable portion would be preserved but the maximum prize limit would be 75%. It would then be on the organisation to make the call on its own profits and running costs and the prize pot, which could vary from week to week. An organisation could calculate how it might work for it. It would preserve the purpose of what the Minister of State is trying to achieve, which is to ensure a portion is safeguarded and ring-fenced for a charitable purpose but it would also allow bingo operators the flexibility to ensure they can offer an attractive pot and run a viable business. They would have discretion within that as to their own running costs and profits and the prize fund. Leave it up to them. That is a very sensible and constructive proposition and I ask the Minister of State to consider it.

On Committee Stage we discussed a number of issues and I asked the Minister of State to consider them over the summer. At that time, we anticipated that Report Stage might be taken immediately after the summer. We discussed stakes when debating Deputy O'Callaghan's amendment, which he withdrew, to reduce the stake from €10 to €5. The Minister of State has tabled amendments to this effect. I still have a little concern about this because the point I raised with the Minister of State has never been clarified. My understanding is that the legislation would be interpreted whereby every line in a machine would be treated as a game. I gave the analogy of betting a lucky 15 or a lucky 31 on horses where each line is a separate bet. Someone might put down one note for a lucky 31 but they are 31 lines in the bet. In a similar way, if the lever is pulled there may be several lines in a game for the stake. What one might imagine to be a maximum of a €5 stake could have 25 lines. That is 25 by €5. There is an issue and I have never had it clarified. I am still concerned about this. I am not sure the legislation captures it. If it is the case it is a big issue and people could spend an awful lot of money. It needs to be fixed. There is a constructive solution on the table that I believe could be to the satisfaction of many Deputies across the board.

I ask the Minister of State to consider that because it could get us out of the difficulty this legislation faces.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.