The long-awaited update to what can only be described as “archaic” Irish gaming legislation has been has been estimated to be 24 months away by the Irish Amusement Trade Association.

Ireland awaits gambling legislation

The legislation that arcades and other gaming sectors are governed by in Ireland is some 60 years old. But ministers have come under increasing pressure to reintroduce a bill that the government admits has been floating around for nearly four years.

Speaking at the Irish Gaming show in Dublin earlier this week, IATA’s general secretary, John Roche said: “This legislation is completely out-dated, IATA was formed in the 1970s and we have been campaigning to have this changed ever since.”

There is a back catalogue of several dozen pieces of legislation to go through the Dail – Irish parliament – presently with the gambling bill far down the list. “There are several pieces of legislation awaiting approval from the Irish government between now and the summer and between May and December 2016 the government only approved 16. This makes it unlikely the bill will get seen to in that time. 

“To have this approved before the summer, to me, would appear to be an impossible task.”

The Gambling Control Bill 2013 went through parliamentary scrutiny nearly four years ago but has yet to be brought forward, with the latest estimate being 24 months from now.

The current legislation leaves it largely in the hands of local authorities to govern gaming within their jurisdictions, the new legislation would nationalise this making it easier for manufacturers to introduce equipment into the country.

Many companies introduce equipment to Ireland via distributors that know individual regions and their policies well, but not everywhere can be banked upon to have hospitable legislation from a gaming point of view. The Irish market is similar to the Italian one in this respect.

“And that dynamic doesn’t exist in Ireland in any other area,” explained Roche. “Local authorities have no jurisdiction over any other individual business.”

Picture: John Roche at the Moran's Red Cow Hotel in Dublin for the Irish Gaming Show (March 7-8)