James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I respectfully disagree. The thrust of the legislation is to regulate all gambling within the State with a particular emphasis on ensuring that there are public health protection measures to protect vulnerable gamblers. All gambling is to be regulated through the Bill and that includes games run by charities and sporting organisations, although the advertising piece and a number of other amendments have been included to acknowledge the distinction between charities, sporting organisations and other philanthropic organisations and other types of gambling operators. On the way the amendments are drafted, because all regulation is tied to the licence, exempting broadcasters from having to hold a licence to provide gambling activities would mean they would not be regulated. If anybody wants to submit further amendments, I will consider them but I am not minded to provide any kind of exemption for particular types of commercial activities at this time.