Gambling Regulation in the new Programme for Government

Today, I wrote to the members of the Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Green Party negotiating teams, to ask that they ensure that Gambling Regulation is part of the new Programme for Government.  

"I am writing to you, as a member of [your party's] negotiating team, to ask that you and your colleagues please ensure that the establishment of a Gambling Regulatory Authority is part of the new Programme for Government.  
 
Both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have committed to this in their manifestos.  A Gambling Regulatory Authority would be self-financing, through licence fees, fines and levies.  As such it would place no additional burden on the Exchequer, during these challenging financial times for our country.  Any set-up costs could be recouped, over time, through (for example) any fines levied on gambling operators.  
 
There are between 30,000 and 40,000 people with gambling problems in Ireland.  It is estimated that, for every person with a gambling problem, an additional 8-10 people are adversely affected.  The HSE stated that they only worked with 230 people with gambling problems in 2019.  This is only the tip of the iceberg. Our free counselling service, in Waterford and Dublin, which launched in July 2019, worked with 98 people in its first 6 months of operation (with just two counsellors).  At the start of lockdown we had over 50 people on the waiting list for Dublin. 
 
A Social Fund - a mandatory levy on industry turnover – as outlined in the Heads of Fine Gael’s Gambling Control Bill, would fund urgently needed treatment, prevention and research in the area of problem gambling.  Research from other parts of the world has shown a massive increase in online casino gambling, during the Covid 19 lockdown.  This is a far more addictive form of gambling and, as such, we expect to see an increased need for supports in the coming months and years."  

Barry Grant, Founder - Problem Gambling Ireland