Ireland could see creation of new regulatory body

The Irish gambling industry could undergo a major change as it could be overseen by an independent regulatory body in the future.

Ireland.- The Irish gambling industry has been reviewing a Gambling Control Bill since 2013 and is set to discuss another change. The Minister of State for Equality, Immigration and Integration David Stanton has requested approval to submit another revision to the text in order to introduce a new, independent regulatory body.

If approved, the bill would foresee the creation of an independent statutory authority that would control gaming activity in the country. That would involve gambling advertising, sports sponsorship and funds to provide treatment for problem gamblers as well as conducting research into gambling activity.

The bill has been under review since 2013, so it’s not strange to read that they haven’t established a timeframe for when the new regulator would be ready to go. However, Stanton explained that the government will consult with stakeholders before pushing the revised bill.

Despite being pressed by local-based operators like Paddy Power and Boylesports, the government seems to be in no rush to pass the bill and just limited to forecast it might be sometime this year.