Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too will support the amendment. The Minister of State will be killing small clubs. Small clubs are the backbone of the community, whether they be GAA clubs, as they mainly are down the country, soccer clubs or any other type of club, organisation or community group. The lottery is a big thing, with a split-the-bucket or whatever. They are in every parish and they are very well supported. The Minister of State is saying they will not be able to be advertised or that they are the cause of some people starting to gamble. It is online gambling he should be dealing with. It ill behoves the Government. It is stopping so much living and fun in our communities. The Government has become a real killjoy and it will be stopping the cat chasing the mouse next. That is the way it is going on, with Big Brother coming in here and encroaching on everything, even activities that are so good for communities, not the big, highfalutin prizes where huge sponsorships and huge money is involved. This is ordinary people and it is of the people, by the people, for the people, developing clubs and facilities in their area in order that we can have players.

I just brought a group of young men to the House from my own club in Newcastle. They are from Cork, Clonmel and various other clubs. We had a bit of banter earlier about clubs going bad and struggling. Our club, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Caisleán Nua, is only a bit of a club because two thirds of our parish is in Contae Phort Láirge, County Waterford. Clubs are struggling.

The Government would not listen to the racing industry either when it wanted to make reasonable amendments. I do not know what has got into it. It will not deal with the issues it should deal with, and then it tries to kill small clubs and communities in this way.

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