Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 February 2019
49. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Finance the number of premises that were sent enforcement notices by the Revenue Commissioners in 2018 and to date in 2019 in relation to gaming machines specifically in areas in which Part III of the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956 is not in force. [10031/19]
View answerI am advised by Revenue that, in accordance with Section 43 of the Finance Act 1975, a gaming machine which is made available for play in a public place without a Gaming Machine Licence is liable to forfeiture and may be seized.
This provision applies irrespective of whether the machine is operated in an area where the relevant Local Authority has elected to permit gaming under Part III of the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956, or not. For this reason, Revenue does not hold separate statistics on the number of actions taken in areas that permit gaming in accordance with the legislation.
Prior to any unlicensed gaming machine being seized, Revenue is required to issue a 21-day warning notification to the non-compliant trader. In situations of continued non-compliance, this notification is followed up with subsequent 14-day and 7-day warning letters. Seizure action only begins once the final warning period has expired. The table below sets out the numbers of warning notifications issued during 2018 and 2019 (to date):
|
Warning Type |
21-Day |
14-Day |
7-Day |
Total |
|
Number Issued |
182 |
68 |
30 |
280 |
