Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----the approach he has adopted and for all of the consultation that he and his officials have engaged in. Anybody who uses his or her phone, laptop or iPad to go on YouTube or Facebook, advertisements will appear, as Senator Noone said. If it is a casino advertisement, there will be temptation to click on it. What happens then? One could be opening a Pandora's box. That is fine on one level but not on another level. How does one regulate the use of these ads? One needs to regulate access to these ads because there is none. Recently, I travelled on a train where I saw people watch and gamble on virtual racing as opposed to the 2.30 p.m. race at Leopardstown racecourse, which is located close to the home of the Acting Chairman. From my perusal of legislation, there does not appear to be provision for regulation on the odds or the obligation to pay out for a win.

Regarding the national lottery, the licence was sold. This issue is a minefield and I support Senator Noone's call for technology to not just block the ads but for a governmental change in terms of how we interact with the Internet. It is something that we have to address. While climate change has become the issue of a generation, we are sleepwalking into problems associated with gambling addiction. I am concerned for the future as I have learned a bit about gambling addiction. Similarly to Deputy Martin Heydon in the Dáil and the Minister of State, I have spoken to people about the issue and this legislation is a very good start. However, the future must be circled as well.