Irish regulator urged to control iGaming

The lottery chief was criticised for not protection the public when it comes to gambling addiction.

Ireland.- Liam Sloyan, Ireland’s lottery regulator, has been criticised for failing to protect the public against gambling addiction. A joint committee on finance, public expenditure and reform urged him to step up his game.

According to the Irish Times, the committee who had a meeting yesterday also told him to demonstrate that he’s investigating the impact of iGaming in Ireland. Other Senators also questioned the regulator’s authority since the Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI) obtained a 20 year license to operate the National Lottery after paying more than US$450 million. The committee noted that the number of online games have been increasing for the past few years, and they believe that it could lead to problem gambling.

Sloyan affirmed that he was very focused on controlling online gambling, even though he admitted that it was easy for players to register multiple accounts to gamble. David Cullinane told him that there was a lack of supervision when it comes to PLI. “The regulator should outline the measures he has taken to protect vulnerable players and to replicate the types of controls on purchases in traditional shops,” added Tara Buckley, director general of RGData.