Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I begin by commending Senator Ward for his work on this Bill and for bringing it to the floor of the House. It is an important Bill. Not just now but on successive Stages, we should look at it in the context of what we are trying to achieve. There has been a great deal of movement by the Irish Bookmakers Association. Senator Carrigy referred to the national lottery and regulation.

It is important that our approach has consistency and honesty. All of us in this House must galvanise our work to put gambling harm minimisation and the protection of people at the heart of what we do. I say this because each of us knows the profound impact gambling has had and continues to have on many families in each of our constituencies and communities. I accept that there will be a lot of pressure and commentary from the Irish Bookmakers Association. As many of my colleagues have said, none of us want to see jobs lost because we understand fully that there have been profits and revenue. However, this new regulatory framework is the flagship of what we are doing as a Government. I use the word "consistency". Members from all political parties and none must be consistent in their approach. When I hear Members from Sinn Féin coming in here and criticising, I recall how the former Ministers for Justice - Alan Shatter, Frances Fitzgerald and Deputy Flanagan - and the former Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, brought forward changes and produced significant initiatives and efforts to amend our betting regime.

I will not go into the full thing since it began in 1845 or 1856 but I admire the former Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, and reflect on the gargantuan change we have made. When we go back to what Donal Creed did in establishing the national lottery in the 1980s, we can see that our world has changed completely. The most significant thing for me is that in respect of good causes, the national lottery generated €254 million last year and has generated over €6 billion since 1987. Many of us who play the national lottery do so in the knowledge that we are giving back as well. We speak about advertising today - I think it is the biggest national lottery prize ever - but €6 billion has been generated so 30 cent in every €1 goes back. I am involved in my local GAA club and my community and see the benefits of the national lottery through the sports capital programme. We forget one thing. The national lottery has a regulator. As Senator Carrigy rightly said, there are spot checks and walk-in inspections. Player protection must be at the forefront of all we do. We have changed the watershed for the advertising of different products, such as alcohol, cigarettes and other things. We have made changes and I am sure we will take similar action in respect of the lottery. It is tightly controlled and independently regulated. We are an outlier in the European context in permitting bookmakers to accept bets on draws operated by the national lottery.

It is important that we are having this debate. I am conscious of the fact that we changed the organisation responsible for running the national lottery, but that is a different debate. The debate we are having today is positive in nature. In fairness to Senator Ward, the Bill is one that we should support. It is also one that the entire Government supports. It is significant that the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, has also remarked on lottery betting in the context of avoiding the main national lottery draw being undermined.

We need regulation, a gambling commission and a gambling authority. We are moving in that direction. The Minister of State, Deputy Browne, has continued with the reform work. However, today's debate is important. I conclude by commending Senator Ward on his work. I look forward to Committee Stage, when we can tease the issues out further and place gambling harm minimisation at the core of what we do.