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Ireland’s long-awaited Gambling Regulation Bill 2022 has finally been approved by lawmakers, 68 years after Ireland’s current primary gambling law was introduced.
Late on October 16, minister of state at the Department of Justice with responsibility for Law Reform, James Browne TD, welcomed the legislation aimed at streamlining, strengthening and modernising gambling regulation in the country.
The bill still needs to be signed off by the President before it is enacted.
The changes are intended to modernise the country's gambling law with a focus on public safety and will see the creation of a new gambling regulator, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), a new National Gambling Exclusion Register, and a Social Impact Fund to support awareness–raising and educational measures.
The bill also contains mechanisms to address illegal gambling, including significant custodial sentences for some breaches of the law.
Welcoming its passing, Browne said: “At its core, this legislation is a public health measure aimed at protecting our citizens from gambling harm, including younger people and those more vulnerable in our communities.
“When established, the GRAI will have 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,” he said.
Once the Bill is enacted, the GRAI will be established.
A Programme Board has been set up in the Department of Justice to ensure that the legislation and the operational preparations are progressed in parallel, allowing the GRAI to start its operations on a phased basis, as soon as possible after enactment and appointment of its members.
Anne Marie Caulfield has been appointed to the role of CEO Designate of the GRAI.
Caulfield said: “While we have a lot of preparatory work done, we will have a phased introduction of our functions, with a focus on licensing initially.”
“As CEO designate of the new Authority, I am determined to ensure that licensees operate in accordance with the legislation while also fulfilling our mandate to establish safeguards to address problem gambling. We are also committed to engaging with stakeholders as we establish this new regulatory regime for Ireland’s gambling and gaming sector.”
The bill’s progress has been slower than the government expected, despite large support for a regulatory update from lawmakers, operators and public health experts.
Its passage through both houses of Ireland's parliament brings to an end stop-start attempts to reform the country's aging gambling law that have lasted for more than a decade.
