Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Bill and congratulate my colleagues for bringing it forward. I know the hard work and thought that went into it, particularly on the part of Senator Ward. I appreciate that and commend him for it.

I need to declare that I am anti-gambling for many reasons. I have counselled families who have had an individual gamble away the home from over their heads. Because of the experiences I have had in seeing the absolute devastation coming from gambling, I come with a particular bias that I find hard to shift. I appreciate the horse industry and all the employment that goes with it. We certainly received a formidable email from the Irish Bookmakers Association reminding us of all of those things in the context of this legislation. That notwithstanding, nothing takes away from sitting down and hearing somebody talk about these matters. At least if someone drinks, they will eventually fall down. If they are on drugs, they will eventually pass out. However, somebody could be gambling away food and the roof over the head of someone else.

I appreciate and value the social dividend from the national lottery. I have been involved in an organisation that was a recipient of the sports capital grant and very grateful for it. I appreciate all of that and the role it plays, but I wonder about the State's role in gambling of any type. That said, it was heartening to hear Senator Carrigy's experience of how the industry is regulated.

I concur with Senator Davitt's views regarding the national lottery. Its advertisements are absolutely outrageous and are intended to attract a younger audience. The breaking up of the family movie at that time on a Saturday evening is appalling. Allowing any advertising before the watershed is appalling. The same thing applies to the large, well-known brands of bookmakers. Their advertisements are intended to look attractive and to attract a whole generation and to attract women. In the context of the statements around regulation, my then five-year-old child thought that one of these brands and its colours are great. I had to sit my child down and tell them, with my particular bias, that this is not a happy thing. These advertisements mask significantly unhappy families. From that point of view, I will welcome the regulator and the full force of the law and the oversight coming into the industry. I support any step in that direction in this Bill, anything that reduces those effects. It is described in the correspondence we received from the Irish Bookmakers Association as consumer choice. Perhaps that is the case, though not in my view. I do not see it as a problem that the lotto is removed from the bookmakers.

I want to call out something else.Today, for the second year running, I have participated in RED C questioning that occurs on behalf of the national lottery. The entirety of the question process is aimed at finding how much public representatives understand and know about the social dividend of the national lottery. I resent it. Today was the sixth phone call to my office to get me to participate in the poll and I expressed that, in no uncertain terms, to the person who rang me. It really is a reminder to public representatives of the reason this Bill is so great. The lottery breaks up the family movie on a Saturday and has inappropriate advertising. I told the person on the phone today I would say that tonight. I do not like it or think it appropriate. I welcome the hard work done by my colleague. I know the thought that went into the Bill. I fully support it.