Vol. 444 No. 7
48 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Justice if she will introduce legislation to protect those who bet in off-course bookmakers' shops; if, when a licence is granted, the owner must have a protection bond in the event of inability to pay; in relation to a premises (details supplied) in County Dublin, the various names who held a licence to operate a bookmaker's shop at any time during 1988 and 1989; and the relevant dates that each licence operated from.
Legislation regulating betting and bookmakers' premises is set out in the Betting Act, 1931. Various amendments to fiscal aspects of this Act and in relation to the collection by the Revenue Commissioners of betting duty have been introduced over the years by the Minister for Finance in annual Finance Acts. I understand that the Revenue Commissioners are empowered under the Finance Act, 1926 to request security in respect of the payment by bookmakers of betting duty and that, under this provision, payment of duty on bets is secured by bond, cover note or cash deposit.
I should point out that the 1931 Act contains provisions whereby renewal of a bookmaker's licence may be refused. Under section 6 of the Act, a Garda Superintendent is empowered to refuse to issue the requisite annual certificate of personal fitness to an applicant for a bookmaker's licence, whenever specified grounds for such refusal apply. The failure to pay winning bets without reasonable cause constitutes one of the specified grounds of refusal.
I have no plans for the introduction of amending legislation to the Betting Act, 1931.
My Department does not maintain records of the ownership of individual bookmaker's premises. A register of all duly licenced bookmakers' premises is kept by the Revenue Commissioners in accordance with section 8 of the Act and the Deputy may, therefore, wish to contact the Office of the Revenue Commissioners directly to obtain particulars of the registration details of premises referred to by him.
