Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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948. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will establish a gambling regulator with the powers to regulate advertising; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15572/20]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Government provides for the establishment of a gambling regulator focused on public safety and wellbeing, covering gambling online and in person, and the powers to regulate advertising, gambling websites and apps.

At present, the general regulation of advertising in the media is a matter for the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland and the Broadcasting Authoring of Ireland. The details of how a new gambling regulator might operate specific advertising regulations for the gambling industry, will be informed by the Report of the Inter-Departmental Working Group on the Future Licencing and Regulation of Gambling, approved by Government on 20 March, 2019. This report is published on my Department's website. Chapter 4 of that report considered the future approach to regulating advertising, sponsorship and promotion of gambling products and the various issues involved.

As outlined in the Report of the Working Group, devising and implementing a modern licensing and regulatory regime for the Irish gambling industry presents this State with a significant challenge. It will be a substantial task, given the size, complexity and technological development of the modern gambling industry in Ireland. Furthermore, there is a need to overhaul the current outdated and complex arrangements whereby responsibility for licensing and regulating gambling activities is shared between a number of departments and agencies.

Work is currently under way in my Department on the development of the legislation to provide for the necessary modern licencing and regulatory provisions.