James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government includes a clear commitment to reform gambling legislation, with a focus on public safety and well-being. The Gambling Regulation Bill 2022 will cover gambling online and in person, and include powers to regulate advertising, gambling websites and apps.

When established, Údarás Rialála Cearrbhachais na hÉireann, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), will be provided with the necessary enforcement powers to enable it to take appropriate and focused action where providers are failing to comply with the provisions of the Authority’s licensing terms, conditions and regulations.

A Programme Board has been established in my Department to ensure that the legislation and the operational preparations are progressed in parallel so that the Authority is in a position to commence operations, on a phased basis, as soon as possible after enactment and appointment of the Authority members. Planning is progressing in the expectation that the legislation will progress through the Houses of the Oireachtas in 2023.

In this regard, I am pleased to say that the CEO Designate of the GRAI was appointed last September and is progressing important preparatory work. Provision of €1.774m has been made in the vote of my Department for 2023 to meet associated costs.

Considerable progress has been made by the CEO Designate on the establishment of the GRAI including:

• Extensive and ongoing stakeholder engagement with other Gambling Regulators, industry participants, health care professionals and Gambling Care experts;
• The preparation, approval and publication of a public tender for essential ICT infrastructure, which closed on the 3July 2023;
• Agreement with the ESRI on a research programme on Gambling in Ireland, with publication of the first such study on the 20June 2023;
• Commissioning KPMG (via OGP tender) to undertake research and analysis into potential financial modelling and licensing fee structures to inform and underpin the GRAI’s future self-financing status;
• Mapping of licence application vetting/approval processes, based on best practice elsewhere, is progressing;
• Research on Codes of Practice, based on the Bill, as well as best practice elsewhere, is progressing;
• Exploration of options for a Gambler Exclusion scheme, informed by the experience of other countries, has also commenced;
• Recruitment of a Director of Licencing and a Director of Technology/Digital First is underway, via the Public Appointments Service.