Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 July 2021
51. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the situation regarding the collapse of a company (details supplied) and that many Irish persons have been affected by this collapse and have lost significant sums of money as a result; and the steps he will take to intervene in relation to same. [36617/21]
View answer52. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to a public inquiry that has been called for in the UK over the collapse of a company (details supplied); and if his Department has examined a similar investigation in this jurisdiction. [36618/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 51 and 52 together.
The regulation of gambling in Ireland is primarily the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Justice and is provided for under the Betting Act 1931.
Under that Act, any business which involves entering into bets with persons in Ireland by remote means must hold a Remote Bookmaker’s Licence. Revenue issues Remote Bookmakers’ Licences in accordance with provisions of the Act and collects Betting Duty from the operators concerned. Revenue’s role in this area is confined to that of a tax administration i.e. the collection of the relevant taxes and duties and the issue of the relevant excise licences on foot of:
- payment of the relevant excise licence fee,
- confirmation of tax clearance status by the applicant for a licence,
- confirmation that the applicant for a licence has a Certificate of Personal Fitness as provided for in section 5 of the Betting Act 1931.
A Certificate of Personal Fitness is a certificate indicating that an individual, or the relevant officers of a body corporate, is a fit and proper person to hold a Remote Bookmaker’s Licence. For applicants that reside in the State, the Certificate of Personal Fitness is issued by the superintendent of the Garda Siochána located where the applicant ordinarily resides. For applicants that reside outside of the state, the Certificate of Personal Fitness is issued by the Minister for Justice and queries in that regard should be addressed to my colleague.
The Minister for Justice may revoke a Certificate of Personal Fitness for stated reasons which are outlined in sections 5(C) and 6 of the Betting Act 1931. The Minister may also apply to the District Court for the revocation of a Remote Bookmakers Licence. In such instances Revenue will be informed of the revocation and will remove the relevant entry from the register. It is also open to a Court under section 17 of the Betting Act 1931 to direct that an operator be removed from the Register of Remote Bookmakers in cases of conviction for an offence under that Act.
The Deputy is asking about a specific entity which, it is understood, has had its licence from the UK Gambling Commission suspended and is currently in administration in relation to its trading activities in that jurisdiction. I am advised by Revenue that an entity trading under the same name is currently on the list of Remote Bookmaking Operations licensed in this State under the 1931 Act.
It will be for the UK courts alongside the administrators to resolve issues relating to the collapsed firm, including the potential for return of funds to affected consumers.
Finally, on a broader note, the Deputy may be interested to know that the Department of Justice is currently leading work on legislative proposals to comprehensively reform the regulation of gambling activities in Ireland and to provide for an independent Gambling Regulator.
