Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Ar dtús báire, ba mhaith liom mo leithscéal a ghabháil leis agus lena chomhghleacaithe as a bheith mall. Bhí mé ag an gcomhchoiste Gaeilge roimhe seo. I apologise to the Minister of State and my colleagues, in particular to my Labour Party colleagues, as I was at committee and held up for the earlier part of this debate. I am looking forward to the rest of it and, indeed, seeing this legislation progress.

Many people enjoy gambling and they do so responsibly. However, for some people and their families, gambling can become a serious problem. Sinn Féin recognises the need for measures to be taken to help and protect those who are at risk. The gambling industry recognises this itself. It set up a gambling awareness trust which distributes funding to various treatments, services and research initiatives.

In 2019, Sinn Féin launched a comprehensive all-Ireland gambling policy. It was an overview policy document that explored the issue of problem gambling with respect to gambling in general, including online gambling, advertising, children and young people, casinos and fixed-odds betting terminals. In this State, almost two thirds of people take part in some form of gambling, which is a lot of people. Many who gamble do not become addicted. However, the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland has called for the Government to consider gambling a major public health concern. This comment is not surprising given the personal consequences problem gambling can create. These include financial difficulties, depression, anxiety, relationship breakdown, suicide, substance abuse, reputational damage, workplace issues and, in some instances, criminal activity. The gambling sector is badly in need of new effective and thorough regulation to protect the most vulnerable. New legislation is required which takes account of and accommodates a faster response to future technological advances to ensure coverage of gaming, gambling and betting, whether land-based or online.

The Bill before the Seanad now correctly identifies a source of pressure on those at-risk gamblers, and that is advertising – especially online advertising. Sinn Féin already supports a ban on broadcast advertising pre-watershed, that is, between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. A similar bar should be extended across online platforms. No online advertising should target under-18s or families with children. I have no difficulty supporting this Bill to the next Stage so we can further explore the issues that arise from gambling for those adversely affected by it.

The Sinn Féin document I referenced also suggested a number of ideas to help minimise problem gambling, such as the setting up of an independent gambling regulator, the functions of which would include administering a problem gambling fund to be financed by a mandatory levy or licence fee on the industry. The regulator should introduce, oversee and enforce rules on advertising on the industry, including requirements around the nature, prominence and duration of warnings in all advertisements. The regulator should also explore the introduction of deposit limits and daily time limits for those at risk. The document also suggested a requirement for age verification before being permitted to gamble online. When signing up for an online account, a standard warning should also be required. In addition, credit card usage in all forms of online and land-based betting should be banned.

Today’s debate is focused on the negative implications of gambling, and that is understandable. However, we need to also recognise the contribution the industry makes in terms of the number of people employed in it and the financial benefits it brings to the economy. The changes that are needed, if implemented, will make a difference to those most at-risk gamblers, and can benefit the sector, if done correctly, responsibly and ethically. I will conclude by commending my colleagues in the Labour Party on bringing this Private Members' Bill before us. As I said, while we have some differences or some divergence of opinion around various tactical matters in the Bill, we can all agree with the sentiment behind it. There is a real, live problem in our communities. I am sure we are all aware of people, especially during the lockdown period, who were at home and almost hyper-exposed to some of these advertisements and the targeted nature of them. I do not know if that was just because we were spending more time at home or if there was some kind of marketing or policy decision to lift the number of advertisers because people were confined to their homes and therefore able to take part in gambling online from home in particular. I supported this Bill on Second Stage. I hope it progresses well and that, collectively, across the House, we can work to ensure it is the best legislation it can be.