Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Section 138 relates to the regulation of gambling advertisements. Amendment No. 250 simply seeks to expand on the existing provisions on the need to prevent children from gambling through advertisements to additionally stress the importance of preventing children and young people from ever developing an interest in gambling activity. It is hugely important we prevent children from gambling. The Bill contains some robust provisions regarding child protection, but we think it ought to go a bit further in terms of disrupting the development of an interest in gambling activity in the first instance, through the regulation of advertisements.

Amendment No. 251 would add video games to the list of media through which advertisements are made and that may be regulated under section 138. Pop-up advertising is prevalent in online games. This is usually the mechanism through which these games are able to generate income. As we discussed throughout this debate, video games are currently offering children an access point to gambling-like activity. While other amendments have focused on the content of those video games, we also need to ensure children are not exposed to gambling advertisements within the games themselves. It seems that the absence of video games from the list in section 138(4)(iii) is somewhat of an oversight. Will the Minister of State consider bringing his own amendment on Report Stage? I think there is an easy fix for amendment No. 251.

Amendment No. 257 seeks to expand the definition of electronic communication in this section to include the concept of push notification. A push notification is a message from a mobile application or a website that appears as a pop-up on a desktop browser, mobile phone screen or notification centre. Given that it is a direct form of communication regularly invoked by online service providers, including gambling companies, it seems pertinent that it would be included in the definition of "electronic communication".

Amendment No. 258 relates to prohibited hours for advertising and seeks to extend the start of prohibited hours for advertising from 5.30 a.m. to 3 a.m. and to include social media services, video-sharing platform services and electronic communications providers. This would bring the prohibited hours in line with prohibited hours that relate to alcohol advertisements. Again, considering both are addictive products intended for those over 18, we think it would be sensible that there would be an alignment in how advertisements are regulated. Regarding the addition of on-demand video services, social media services and video-sharing platforms, we are adding these considering the use of these platforms is highly prevalent among young people and children. The absence of their inclusion in the prohibition is an oversight. Social media services already have country-specific advertisement policies for gambling. Including them in this list would provide them with valuable guidance with regard to these policies. It is important our regulations are clear in their inclusions of services such as video-sharing platforms. Last year, the Centre for Digital Democracy, through its organisation Fairplay, placed targeted advertisements on videos for children on YouTube, despite Google saying it did not allow such advertisements. It is important our regulations are clear and unambiguous regarding online advertising of gambling and that the obligations of companies involved are unambiguous.