Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Amendments Nos. 127 and 338 are related so I will discuss them together. Amendment No. 338 changes Schedule 2, which relates to maximum relevant payments and winnings for games and lotteries. The Bill contains boring proposals setting the maximum relevant payment for a relevant game at €10. Slot machines and other types of high-speed electronic gaming machines are proven to be by far the most addictive and harmful forms of gambling. They are created to be addictive and it is embedded in their design. At the relevant maximum payment levels set in this Schedule, a person playing a slot machine or online slots using the autoplay function, as most users do, could stake €14,400 per hour based on a minimum speed of 2.5 seconds per slot, as outlined by the Great Britain gambling commission. They may have some wins on the way but the percentage of average return to a player on these machines is approximately 95%, meaning a player would be highly likely to lose at least the average weekly wage if not more by playing on one of these machines for an hour. In May, the Great Britain gambling commission published new rules on a remote game design, which will come into force on 17 January 2025. These new rules will reduce the speed and intensity of online products. It is important that we recognise this particular risk posed by high-speed electronic gaming machines and virtual games. Amendment No. 338 as it relates to the Schedule would lower the maximum relevant payment for games of a duration of under 20 seconds. This is a more targeted approach than offered in the Bill and seeks to distinguish high-speed gambling games and the particular risks they pose. It would also set a lower maximum relevant payment for those aged 18 to 24. Younger people, particularly those between the ages of 18 and 24, are at high risk of developing gambling problems. Their decision-making ability has not yet matured, their brain is still developing and they are more likely to take risks and act impulsively. The UK Government recognised that this age group has the highest average gambling problem score of any group.