Nicky McFadden (Fine Gael)

That is a terrible indictment of this country. I am concerned about on-line gambling. The national lottery proposes to go on-line and sell tickets that way which I find to be a worrying trend. I will not say whether I am for that or against it but I believe we must have an informed debate in this House. That is what this forum is about — to debate all such issues. We have a fantastic horse breeding industry in Ireland. The ideal is to benefit from the benefits that industry brings and ensure we clamp down on the thugs.

While I was on holiday last year I was in a massive casino. It is a terrible sight to see elderly people stooped over slot machines, putting in their money and afraid to go to the toilet or to eat in case the machine paid.