Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

The reason many of us are here is the normalisation of gambling on sport by gambling companies and what they have done to influence so many people, a growing number of people in this country - one in 30 or 130,000 people - who now have a gambling addiction. One of the biggest issues those who have that gambling addiction mention when I talk to them is a free bet or an "inducement" as it is referred to in this Bill. It has also been referred to my colleague. For the life of me, I cannot understand why these have been reintroduced. In his next contribution, will the Minister let us know why he has reintroduced inducements and free bets? This is a public health issue and a very serious one. As my colleague has rightly said, and as has been said to me by many of those on the front line or the coalface of dealing with gambling addiction, we do not offer free cigarettes to punters, or do we?We do not offer alcohol-free drinks, or do we? We do not offer free tickets for the national lottery, or do we? As part of this Bill, we will reintroduce free bets for those we need to protect.

The Minister of State talks about stopping targeted bets, regulation, not having free bets for individuals and not having free bets for groups. How will that be controlled? If I am an individual with a gambling addiction, surely if one of the gambling companies advertises a free bet, I am entitled to it as much as the next person or any colleague across the road, but I will be the one who will suffer. It is not only me; the Minister of State knows for a fact that up to six people in my family will also suffer because of that free bet. I can give example after example because I have spoken to people - they have also been in contact with the Minister of State - who have lost substantial money and have then seen a free bet, a trip to the races or whatever from the gambling company they have just lost money to. How will that be stopped unless we remove these inducements and free bets from the Bill?

Neither the Labour Party nor I are against gambling. Gambling is healthy for many people but it is also a concern for a growing number. I know it is a concern for the Minister of State. I praised him for the work he has done in respect of this Bill in the past, but for the life of me I cannot see why he has to introduce free bets and inducements. We want to protect the most vulnerable. We have to do so. The only way we can protect the most vulnerable is to use this Bill to ban inducements and free bets.