Irish Examiner View: Gambling laws urgently needed
Alcoholism and problem gambling are two social ills familiar to us in Ireland. Both are addictions capable of destroying the lives of not just the addict but also his or her family.
However, while it may take an alcoholic years to drink away their home, a problem gambler can lose theirs in minutes. The lockdown has seen the closure of betting shops but, at the same time, there has been a huge increase in online gambling. As well as that, with live sport halted, there has been a surge in online poker. That makes the need for changes in our gambling laws all the more urgent.
The UK has recently moved to ban the use of credit cards for all forms of betting, including online. We should follow suit and, at the same time, bring Irish gambling laws into the 21st century.
The multibillion-euro betting, gaming, and gambling industries are regulated by arcane laws, some dating from the 1930s. The Gambling Control Bill introduced by Alan Shatter in 2013 was the nearest we got to proper regulation, making the protection of underage gamblers a priority, but it is still meandering its way through the Oireachtas.
In the current climate, it is more important than ever that gambling be limited and controlled. Several European countries have implemented restrictions and Latvia has banned it altogether during the pandemic. The inordinate delay in enacting legislation to control gambling in Ireland is, in itself, a gamble, made even more so by this crisis.
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