Irish gambling reforms: senate to consider ban on lottery betting

The Seanad will consider the proposal tomorrow.

Ireland.- The Irish senate, the Seanad Éireann of the Oireachtas, will tomorrow (Tuesday 8 October) consider a proposed ban on lottery betting. The issue was the subject of Amendment No. 113 to the Gambling Regulation Bill proposed by senator Barry Ward.

Amendment No. 113 would clarify that entities regulated by the Gambling Regulation Bill cannot offer gambling on the National Lottery unless specifically authorised under Part 7 of the National Lottery Act 2013. Such a move has been requested by the retail association RGDATA, which says that betting on lottery results through third-party providers harms the Irish National Lottery’s funding for good causes as well as commissions for retail agents.

Lottery betting is banned in many European countries, but there is no such ban in Ireland. RGDATA estimates lottery good causes funding is reduced by around 20 per cent a year as a result.

In a letter to Paschal Donohoe, Ireland’s minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, RGDATA director general Tara Buckley wrote: “Rather than continuing to allow Ireland to be a laggard in EU terms in continuing to allow Lottery Betting, does it not make eminent sense to use the current legislative opportunity to outlaw this practice.”

“Given the significant positive outcome that such a ban would yield, is this an opportunity that you can afford to miss?” she added.

Justice minister James Browne has indicated that he needs Donohoe’s agreement in order to include such a ban in Ireland’s proposed gambling reforms, which remain at the committee stage. Buckley called on Donohoe to cooperate with the Department of Justice when the Gambling Bill returns to the Senate before the Report Stage.

Meanwhile, some senators are calling for an amendment to add a complete ban on gambling ads. Senators Michael McDowell and Mark Wall are among those who want a ban, but Browne remains in favour of limiting restrictions to less strict measures, with limited hours for gambling ads on television and radio. He wants to give the proposed new Irish gambling regulator the power to decide what times gambling ads can be shown and where.