Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support Senator Craughwell's amendment. I will table a couple of amendments on Report Stage, in particular around the review, which I want to flag. Given the scheduling of this Bill, amendments had to be tabled by Monday, so the deadline was missed. Senator Cummins and I, in particular, and others have been asking for this legislation for a number of years, so I am pleased it is before us. It is not perfect, but it is a start.

I will not go over what I said on Second Stage but when we completed that Stage, we were going to report back to the commission and tell it what our plans were. However, the gambling control Bill was supposed to be introduced in conjunction with this legislation. Senator Craughwell spoke about gambling. Gambling and betting are two different things, and I know the Senator knows that. What we are talking about here is bookmakers, horse racing and greyhound racing and not about casinos, online casinos and online gambling. We were supposed to have a gambling control Bill in parallel with this Betting (Amendment) Bill. Maybe the reason it has not been introduced is due to resources in the Department of Justice and Equality and the priorities for legislation as large pieces of legislation are coming through that Department. This is relevant to the section Senator Craughwell wants to insert in the Bill which does not introduce any controls on the online sector or on bookmaker shops. If one walks into a bookmaker shop, one will see an electronic roulette wheel in the corner. Many of them have poker machines in the corner and have virtual gambling. There is nothing in this legislation to address that and that is my real concern.

I am not anti-betting or anti-gambling. There is a purpose for it and like everything else, it should be done in moderation. I want the independent bookmakers to have a level playing pitch, which this Bill goes some way to doing. I want off-course and online betting taxed because I want the Exchequer to get that income and to ensure we are not run by the large bookmaker chains. However, what is missing is any of the gambling control measures we were told would be introduced in conjunction with this Bill. That is why Senator Craughwell's amendment would be helpful in the interim because something needs to be done in the interim. When this legislation my party and I support is enacted, it will deal with betting which is one side of this. Colleagues have different views on it and views were expressed on Second Stage about liberalising opening hours and so on and points were very well made. However, nothing is being done about this sector, which is the most dangerous one.

At least reputable bookmakers have some control over their clients and punters and they will regulate the betting in shops, as they have been doing for years. However, I mention online gambling and roulette wheels in Paddy Power's and, I am sure, in Ladbrokes and other places - they are good companies, so I am not singling them out for criticism. They set a €100 maximum bet for roulette. The Fitzwilliam casino, one of the private casino clubs which is around the corner, sets a maximum of €50. However, on the online side, we are letting this go and we are not getting tax revenue on any of it, when we should be. It probably amounts to €200 million.

I would like to know when the gambling control Bill will be published. Is it expected to be enacted in the term of this Government or will it be left for further down the road?