Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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141. To ask the Minister for Finance his Department's plans to review betting duty in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40751/16]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The Betting (Amendment) Act 2015 was enacted on 15 March 2015, bringing remote bookmakers and Remote Betting Intermediaries within the scope of the existing licensing regime in Ireland from August 2015.  The Act provides for a fair and equal treatment of all bookmakers (traditional, remote and betting exchanges) by extending betting duty to remote operators, thus widening the tax base and protecting the Exchequer from the leakage of potential tax revenue.

Prior to the enactment of the Betting Act, excise duty was only payable at a rate of 1% on bets entered into with a traditional bookmaker. Since the application of duty to the remote sector from 1st August 2015, licensed remote bookmakers are now liable for duty at 1% on the amount of a bet from customers in the State, and licensed remote betting intermediaries are now liable for duty of 15% on the commission charged to customers in the State.  The new regulatory regime has been in place since August 2015 and receipts for the first 10 months of this year from the remote sector have yielded €22.6m. 

During the Finance Bill committee stage debates in both the Daíl and the Seanad, my colleague, Minister of State, Eoghan Murphy TD, gave a commitment that betting duty would be examined as part of the Tax Strategy Group process in 2017.