Irish Passes Gambling Regulation Bill
After a long wait, the Republic of Ireland has finally passed its gaming regulation bill. The bill means a new gaming government regulator has been established, now known by the name of the Gambling Regulatory Authority, or GRA. This work has been done in conjunction with Minister of State James Browne, a member of Ireland’s Department of Justice.
The Republic of Ireland has finally passed a regulatory bill to address gambling reform across the nation. Damien Perez/Unsplash
Ireland establishes GRA
Ireland welcomed its new gaming regulation code by signing a bill into law last week to establish the GRA. The GRA’s first leader will be Anne Marie Caulfield, acting in the position of Chief Executive. The bill itself was drafted by Minister of State James Browne, a member of Fianna Fáil.
Now that the bill has passed through the legislative process and been signed by Ireland’s tri-party coalition government (between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party), work can begin in earnest on the GRA agency. It will be up to GRA to create a framework for legalized gaming in the European nation. Such frameworks take time and it is likely that the GRA will not be operational until some time in 2023, though the exact date has yet to have been given.
Browne and other supporters of regulation position the bill as a solution for creating a safer gaming environment in the country. Unregulated, unlicensed gambling often exists in countries where no gaming laws are established. These industries can become problematic whether or not gaming is expressly prohibited by law.
That is why more and more nations are considering gaming regulation and putting bills into action. Ireland’s bill addresses creating consumer standards in line with the rest of the world, establishing a licensing system and a pathway for identifying reliable operators, and developing safe gaming practices.
As is commonplace with newer regulatory bills, Ireland’s GRA will also have to include a self-exclusion option within its gaming framework. Such a system might be in the form of a voluntary registry, though there may also be the option for family and friends of gamers to put loved ones on the list if necessary. So far, it sounds like gaming operators will be responsible for offering registry options to their customers.
Alongside this measure, gaming companies will also pay into a “Social Impact Fund” in order to contribute research to the area of problem gambling. Since some gaming already exists in Ireland, the GRA will also be in charge of unifying an updated set of rules across all verticals of the industry.
These rules include new guidelines about how gaming companies advertise in Ireland. They will not be allowed to run ads between 5:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. for example. Further rules apply to what kind of companies will be allowed to embark in sponsorship deals with teams. Advertising that is determined to be geared towards children — or which might trigger problem gaming — will of course be banned.
The government has also already made the decision to ban credit card-based gaming. The placement of gaming machines near ATMs will also be limited. There will be harsh consequences for operators that work without appropriate licenses, including jail time of up to eight years.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee also spoke about the bill, stating that the GRA is a positive development for Irish gaming regulation given the body will be able to act quickly as the industry evolves. It has already undergone many changes in terms of new technology and the popularization of online gaming systems in the midst of Covid-19, for example.
McEntee told RTE that she supports the emphasis on preventing problem gaming within GRA’s development and the new bill. She said, “As a former Minister of Mental Health and as a local representative, I have seen the damaging impact gambling addiction can have on people and families, particularly on their mental health.”
Ireland has been patiently waiting for regulation. The discussion started about ten years ago and has been consistently waylaid despite support from many parties. Ireland was also the last EU member with no laws addressing iGaming, a vitally important and rapidly growing part of the industry.
