Gambling tax to double in Ireland

According to the 2019 budget, the gambling tax will be increased from 1% to 2% in order to generate €50 million for the state coffers.

Ireland.- Governments from all around the world tend to have two positions on gambling: either they keep it illegal or they see it as a big cash register from where they can finance the public treasury. Ireland is definitely in the latter group as it will increase the gambling tax from 1% to 2%, the 2019 budget reveals.

The document, presented by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, foresees taxation on the gambling segment to be doubled in order to generate €50 million for state coffers. As they struggled to get their proposals to Donohoe, the gambling tax will represent a significant victory for the Independent Alliance for next year’s budget.

The Irish government has also been fighting to end illegal gaming operations, an effort which has resulted in some benefits, according to a recent report. The Irish authorities confirmed that a crackdown on illegal gaming services resulted in operators obtaining authorised licences and, therefore, the government obtained further casino revenues via taxes.

The Office of the Revenue Commissioners collected over €1 million in taxes in 2017, which represents an increase in the government’s benefits from casino industry. According to Minister Donohoe, said performance is due to new licences granted to operators who previously were offering illegal services.