Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 85: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality when he will bring forward the gambling Bill in view of the fact that the betting amendment Bill is expected to be published during the summer session and that both Bills are closely interlinked in terms of properly licensing and regulating gambling in this country. [8038/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The purpose of the Betting (Amendment) Bill 2011, to be published by the Minister for Finance, is to bring internet and telephone betting within the licensing provisions of the Betting Act, 1931. Provision has already been made in the Finance Act 2011 to tax such forms of betting, subject to the adoption of a licensing procedure.

The Deputy may also be aware that a document entitled Options for Regulating Gambling was published last December, as part of a review of gambling being conducted by my Department. The previous Government declined to adopt a policy on gambling arising from that review. It falls to me, therefore, to consider whether the proposals outlined in Options for Regulating Gambling represent the best choices in terms of settling a revised regulatory architecture for gambling, into the future. Any legislative proposals arising from my examination and subsequent discussions at Cabinet, will follow in the normal course.