Máire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Will the Leader update us on the Government's plans to protect young people from the grips of the gambling industry? My party has been extremely active on this topic, about which I am seriously concerned. The Department of Justice and Equality has a plan for a gambling control Bill, although it is fair to say and everyone agrees that it is long overdue at this stage, especially as it will include some provisions aimed at child protection. I have outstanding concerns about free games which are targeted at children online and encourage risk-taking and gambling within them. The outcomes of such games set the perfect landscape on which monetary gambling may take hold in early adulthood. At least in the United Kingdom there has been action following a report or research last year which indicated that 500,000 children from four years and upwards were gambling. The story is similar here. The Gambling Commission in the United Kingdom has acted swiftly and recently ordered over 550 gambling sites to be removed immediately to remove the cute, cuddly games targeted at and designed exclusively for children. There is the deliberate design of child-oriented games which are free to play. It is an effective sales pitch to sell children the concept of gambling. If the Leader was to clarify how the Government planned to address the issue, I would appreciate it.

Come on, you boys in green.