Irish gambling expected to change in 18 months

Irish Minister of State David Stanton has revealed that work on developing a new framework for regulating gambling in the country will take up to 18 months. This includes establishing a new regulator with powers to impose fines, issue licenses and address previously unregulated areas such as spread betting.

Responding to journalists questions, Stanton said that work on the revised General Scheme of the country’s Gambling Control Bill had begun. The new regulatory regime should be in place by 2020 if work is completed within 18 months as expected.

The upcoming changes in the Gambling Control Bill, first published in 2013, are the result of recommendations by an inter-departmental working group which published its report in March this year. At the time, Stanton announced that “the Government has made a major commitment to the modernisation of our licensing and regulatory environment for gambling.”

The inter-departmental report also recommended creating a new social fund, supported by levies on licensed operators, which is expected to support research, information campaigns and the treatment of those affected by gambling.

Ireland has regulated online gaming since 2015, but the regulatory framework has been in place since 1956 via Gaming and Lotteries Amendment Act. Aside from lottery-specific regulations, there are no up to date controls for other segments, and regulation of the sector is currently divided between a number of government departments and agencies.