James Carroll (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State for being here at 10.50 p.m. on a Wednesday night to respond to this Adjournment matter, the focus of which is on the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956 which urgently needs to be updated. It was introduced at a time when raffles, sweepstakes and lotteries were the main focus. However, times have changed; we are now living in the electronic era. We must, therefore, amend the legislation. Vulnerable persons are often sucked into a cycle of gambling and betting, with no definite return at either a minor or modest level.

In researching my contribution I examined whether legislation had been introduced in other countries, for example, America, Australia and France, which had been tackling the issue, with specific reference to on-line gambling. Three years ago I was lucky enough to visit Australia where there is an extraordinary amount of gambling. In 2004-05 average gambling expenditure per person was over $1,000, with $655 of this spent on gaming machines alone. In New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory there is a legislative range of minimum payout returns and ratios of up to 85%, 87.5% and 90%. In Queensland and Western Australia the minimum payout return is 90% to be returned to the users and players of games. I am aware that in other countries, specifically Australia, there is extensive postering in pubs, clubs, hotels and casinos to highlight pay-out rates and figures and provide information on how one should complain if one is dissatisfied.

The Minister for Justice and Law Reform has been doing an excellent job in ploughing through legislation, but this issue is urgent and needs to be addressed.