Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Then they must be shut down. One can find anything online if one wants. A condition of a bookmaker's licence should be not to lay a bet on the outcome of our national lottery. We are adding this provision to the licensing requirements for bookmakers in order that they would no longer be allowed to do so. The Minister of State has pointed out that this does not come within his remit but as we are discussing the Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill we are saying it should be. As the Senator Norris will be aware, legislation is often cross-departmental and amends other Acts, and that is what we are trying to do here. We want to make it a condition under the licence that bookmakers cannot offer a bet on the outcome of our national lottery because there is no benefit for the State, especially when it comes to offshore betting. If an offshore bookmaker is laying bets on the outcome of our national lottery, it is the State's responsibility to say it is breaking the law and, therefore, its site would have to be unavailable in Ireland. Companies can have their sites wherever they want but we need to control the world wide web as it pertains to Ireland when our laws are being breached, which I know is difficult to do. The world wide web offers loads of services that are illegal in this State and that is where the other element-----