Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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481. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the consideration she has given in the forthcoming Gambling Control Bill to permitting totes at harness racing events; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11659/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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There are two fundamental concepts underpinning the General Scheme of the Gambling Control Bill, namely that all gambling is illegal unless licensed, and that any one providing a gambling service in Ireland must have a licence.

As provided for in the General Scheme, all licensing will come under the remit of a single national authority, i.e. the Minister for Justice & Equality. The legislation will put in place a comprehensive regulatory framework that will cover all forms of gambling and afford the greatest protections to those that need it most.

However, it also needs to be recognised that gambling forms part of the daily life of many Irish people. The approach that will be taken in the legislation will be to identify the activities that are currently available and to regulate them accordingly.

The Bill will, upon its enactment, repeal existing betting and gaming legislation. The new legislation will cover both under the term “gambling”, and will deal with both on-line and terrestrial versions. While not explicitly provided for in the General Scheme, it is the Government's position that the activities of the Tote will be covered under the published Bill.