Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wait with bated breath for the gambling control Bill. Last night, I was thinking about gambling.As I was thinking about it, an advertisement appeared on the television offering me access to the best bingo game in the world. I could pick from five or six by dialling some number or getting online. No sooner had that advertisement finished than something came up on the television offering me roulette and blackjack. I asked myself how many different ways I could have gambled if I wanted to. What could I start betting on if I wanted to? Apart from the flies walking up the wall, I could bet on any of the things I had just mentioned - card games, roulette, blackjack, poker, you name it. I could bet on live and computer-generated horse races. I could bet in and out of the cloud. I could bet with Irish-based gambling houses or gambling houses from God knows where. I started to look a little further. I can bet on currencies and stock market movements and I can engage in spread betting. I can lose or make fortunes in moments. We have seen how contracts cost one man in this country €1.2 billion. That was gambling with the livelihoods of his workers. We need controls urgently.

As I have already said, there is a problem here. The Revenue Commissioners have responsibility for some part of what goes on in the gaming and gambling world while the gardaí have other responsibilities. God knows who else has responsibility everywhere else. It is possible to put forward some form of task force that will go into the betting houses of this country and start rooting out the illegal machines that are there. This will regularise the revenue requirements that are there. I understand that one can license a machine for three months and operate it for 12 months. One can decide whether one is going to pay 1% VAT on earnings from gambling or 23% VAT. It seems to be very much down to the owner of the emporium or saloon to decide what they are prepared to give.

I did not get the Government health warning through. I have not given up on it and will be pushing hard for that on aspects of gambling. All we are asking is that we control it. If I run an online system, I can have a database that will work the odds against the individual. As an individual improves, I can worsen their lot. I can limit the amount they are allowed to bet on any individual race on any individual issue because I do this with technology. I can profile John Bloggs, see where he normally bets and make it harder or easier for him in order to entice him and when he is in, give him a kicking because this is what technology does.

The Leader mentioned a 1931 Act which we are updating it in 2015.