Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 March 2024
483. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice to outline the Gambling Regulation Bill’s proposed watershed ban on gambling advertisements, particularly considering the Bill’s aim to protect vulnerable persons and provide clarity and equity for the gambling industry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10222/24]
View answerReform of gambling legislation, licensing and regulation is a priority for the Government and my Department. The Programme for Government includes a clear commitment to reform gambling legislation, with a focus on public safety and well-being from both an online and in-person perspective.
The Gambling Regulation Bill 2022 sets out the framework and legislative basis for the establishment of a new, independent statutory body – Údarás Rialála Cearrbhachais na hÉireann, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland – and for a robust regulatory and licensing regime to regulate gambling in-person and online including lotteries and other similar gambling activities permitted under the Bill and for the regulation of gambling advertising, websites and apps.
At its core, this legislation is a public health measure aimed at protecting our citizens from gambling harm, including younger people and those more vulnerable in our communities. My officials and I have engaged in extensive consultation with representatives from the industry, the charity sector, related sectors and as well as with professionals working in the area of problem gambling, persons adversely affected by the consequences of gambling and those with lived experience of problem gambling.
Once enacted, the Bill will provide the Authority with the necessary enforcement powers for licensing and enable it to take appropriate and focused action where providers are failing to comply with the provisions of this Bill and with the Authority’s licensing terms, conditions and regulations.
In line with its public health focus, the Bill includes restrictions on gambling advertising, including the introduction of a pre-watershed ban on gambling advertising, which was included following a clear recommendation of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice in their pre-legislative scrutiny report published in May 2022.
Consistent with that recommendation, section 141 of the Bill provides for a watershed prohibiting the broadcast of gambling advertising on television, radio and on audio-visual media services between the hours of 5.30am and 9.00pm, with a focus on protecting children from the widespread proliferation of gambling advertising across these forms of media.
In addition to the watershed provisions, the Bill provides for a wide-ranging power to allow the Authority to prescribe the times, place and events where gambling advertising can be broadcast, displayed or published, and allows the Authority to specify the frequency which advertising can be broadcast, the duration of advertisements, and the volume/amount of advertisements that can be shown during commercial breaks, for example.
