Shane Cassells (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 28:

In page 20, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following: “(4A) In performing its functions the Commission shall have regard to issues of addiction, in particular gambling, and shall have regard to policies of the Government and of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Minister for Health, and to public bodies whose activities are concerned with those matters.”.

This amendment is in a similar vein. In the legislation, there is specific reference to certain policies of the Government, in particular regarding climate action and communications, and rightly so in respect of the former. The focus of this amendment is equally important. I feel strongly about this issue because it figured prominently during our earlier debates. I am conscious gambling legislation is being brought forward and please God, by the end of the year, a gambling commissioner will have been appointed. The amendment will ensure we have due regard for the work of the bodies in this State that are entrusted to deal with gambling.

When we discussed the addiction levels online in the sphere of gambling, it was frightening beyond belief. We are talking about a multibillion euro industry in this country, which is prepared to ravage the health and mental well-being of young people, old people, male and female – it does not care. It is insidious. It uses technology to penetrate through to the very vulnerable and to the prominent people who are trying to expose it. I refer to people such as Paul Merson in England, who lost every penny he made as a professional sportsperson. He has liaised with broadcasters to highlight the fact these guys can create case files on people. If they know someone has an addiction and is pumping enough money into gambling, they will create a case file to keep the person hooked. It is the most insidious industry in this country and we have pandered to it for too long. Its representatives used to walk around Leinster House like they owned the joint, bringing politicians away for freebies. It is a disgrace what gambling companies have done to people in this country, as anyone who has a family member or a friend who has been affected by gambling will know. It is glorified, and it will be glorified again this week in Punchestown as though it is part of our national psyche; it is not.

The amendment will put the issue of addiction, and in particular gambling addiction, on a par with the importance of Government policies on climate change and environmental sustainability. We want to see that reflected because it formed such an integral part of our discussions in committee. We are going to tackle this issue strongly. The companies know it is coming. It is making them very uncomfortable that the Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Deputy James Browne, is taking them on. I hope it is as uncomfortable for these guys as it is for a horse facing The Chair in the Grand National. In the interim, I want to see a response reflected in the Bill because the Internet is the mechanism by which the companies use the platforms. They do not care about the bookies anymore. That is irrelevant. The Internet is where they try to get people hooked, and I ask the Minister to reflect positively on the amendment.