Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the work of the Minister of State on the Bill. I congratulate him on bringing it to this Stage and fulfilling a commitment he made. I also thank my colleague, an Teachta Gould, and his team for all their work on this issue. Sinn Féin is happy to support the progress of the Bill to Committee Stage. We support the efforts in respect of the regulation of gambling. If anything, it is long overdue, as the Minister of State will acknowledge.

I have maintained for some time that problem gambling is a serious issue, which particularly impacts on young men. I spent four years raising the issue when I was Sinn Féin spokesperson on health in the previous Dáil. I am not anti-gambling as such, although I fail to see its relevance. I suppose it has some relevance for some people. I assure the House that any observations I have or suggestions I make are solely in the interests of protecting people with problem gambling habits, as well as their family and friends. It is often the case that behind a person who is suffering from and dealing with problem gambling habits there are family, friends and people who can be very damaged by the impact of those habits.

Research published by H2 Gambling Capital has continuously recorded Ireland as having among the highest gambling losses not only in the EU, but the entire world. That is a shocking statistic. It is estimated that Irish gamblers lost €1.36 billion, or approximately €300 per adult, in 2020. When one considers that many people do not participate in gambling, there are people out there losing money they can barely afford to lose, and many others who are suffering from problem gambling. With the advent of online gambling, the problem has been exacerbated. It was always obvious that, without regulation, vulnerable people were going to suffer.

Thankfully, many sporting organisations have seen fit to sever ties with gambling companies. I applaud the sporting organisations that have done so because it is difficult to get sponsorship and keep a club going. Fair play to those who say "No" to this type of money and "No" to endorsing gambling and gambling companies.

These organisations know this because they have seen at first-hand the damage the gambling industry has done to their members. It is essentially a take, take, take industry. Little, if any, money comes back to the games, particularly grass-roots games, from an industry that profits from sport.

While I welcome the Bill, it is another case of the Government following the public. The industry should have been regulated a long time ago but it took public testimonies from those who have suffered due to problem gambling. I say "Fair play" to those people for doing it because that is not easy. We have seen documentaries featuring sports stars who have been crushed under the weight of a problem habit, and families and lives that have been torn apart. It is safe for the Government to regulate now that the public are demanding it but it should have taken the lead on this years ago.

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