Written answers
Tuesday, 29 November 2022
Department of Justice and Equality
Gambling Sector
Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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575. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of applications for certificates of personal fitness from remote operators and terrestrial bookmakers not ordinarily resident in the State made in the past five years, broken down by company name and year in tabular form; the number of successful applicants and the number of those refused; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59066/22]
Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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576. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of applications for certificates of personal fitness from remote operators and terrestrial bookmakers who are resident in the State made in the past seven years, broken down by company name and year in tabular form; the number of successful applicants; the number of those refused; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59067/22]
James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 575 and 576 together.
Current legislation providing for online gambling is contained in the Betting (Amendment) Act 2015, which permits the licensing by the Revenue Commissioners of remote bookmakers and betting exchanges. The role of this Department is limited to the processing of certificates of personal fitness (CPFs) for applicants for terrestrial bookmakers who are not ordinarily resident in the state and all remote bookmakers.
The table below details the number of such applications made in the past seven years, the number of CPFs granted, and the number of CPFs refused. The attached document details the names of the companies and individuals and the types of licence they applied for broken down by year, for the Deputy’s information.
| Year | No. of Gambling Operators to Apply | CPFs Granted | CPFs Refused |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 28 | 37 | 2 |
| 2017 | 85 | 122 | 0 |
| 2018 | 35 | 44 | 0 |
| 2019 | 83 | 165 | 0 |
| 2020 | 19 | 34 | 0 |
| 2021 | 92 | 168 | 0 |
| 2022 | 26 | 31 | 0 |
As the Deputy may be aware, the Programme for Government gives a clear commitment to establish a gambling regulator focused on public safety and well-being, covering gambling online and in person, and the powers to regulate advertising, gambling websites and apps. In future, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland will take responsibility for the process of issuing licences to gambling operators.
The Gambling Regulation Bill, which will establish the Authority, was approved by Cabinet on 15th of November. There is a pathway mapped for this legislation progressing which will facilitate the Authority being established in 2023. A Programme Board was established to ensure that the legislation and the operational preparations are progressed in parallel so that the Authority commences operations as soon as possible after enactment of the Bill.
/ie/oireachtas/debates/questions/supportingDocumentation/2022-11-29_pq575-29-11-22_en.xlsx">Details
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