Proposals to create a new regulatory structure for up to 40 casinos in Ireland appear to have been shelved until after the country’s general election in April 2016.
In July 2013, Ireland’s Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, announced that the government had approved the so-called General Scheme of the Gambling Control Bill 2013. The intention of the bill was to repeal and replace all existing regulation of betting, gaming, bingo and lotteries - except the National Lottery - and extend the licensing regime to include both online and electronic gambling.
It outlined plans to formally create up to 40 casinos, where previously private members’ clubs have occupied a somewhat grey area. Fixed odds betting terminals were to be banned, while additional recommendations were made for the prohibition of virtual sports in betting shops.
It did not, however, stipulate licence fees for machines and venues, set stakes and prizes for machines or establish what taxes and duties were to be paid.
It was hoped that the bill could come into effect towards the end of this year but there is now unlikely to be any movement on the issue until after the 2016 election.
“It has officially been drop-kicked into touch until after the next general election,” John Purcell, organiser of last month’s Irish Gaming Show and head of Purcell and Associates, told InterGaming.
“However, there’s a caveat in there and this is what I keep on saying to people; you have to remember we have a regulator already, very sneakily introduced as our National Lottery regulator - a gentleman named Liam Sloyan - and he will assume control for gaming, he just hasn’t been given the rules yet. We actually have the bare bones infrastructure for it to happen, he just needs to be given the parameters for it to happen.”
Sloyan, the former head of the Health Insurance Authority in Ireland, was appointed in October last year to oversee the newly privatised National Lottery operation. From here, he could well oversee the future direction of the wider gambling market, including casinos, gaming arcades and betting shops.
