Latest news with #GamblingRegulationAct2024
The Journal
24-05-2025
- Business
- The Journal
Ireland's new gambling watchdog is up and running, but its strict laws won't apply until 2026
LICENCING IRELAND'S LUCRATIVE gambling industry under strict regulations will not begin until the middle of 2026, over a year after the appointment of a new regulatory body. As a result, a Social Impact Fund that will invest in services that help people with problem gambling habits using registration duties, fine and penalty money from licence holders will not be operational until the first companies are registered. The Gambling Regulation Authority of Ireland (GRAI), which The Journal re ported was set up without an activation timeline , will be in charge of collecting the money for the fund and granting gambling licences under strict new rules. In March, the figureheads of the organisation were formally appointed to their positions by Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan, with senior civil servant Paul Quinn appointed as chair of the authority. Despite this, the multibillion-euro gambling industry is still not subject to the strict laws and won't be until next year. Responding to a parliamentary question from Labour TD Mark Wall, O'Callaghan said the GRAI's new licencing regime will not get underway until mid-2026. It is only then, he said, that the social impact fund will be funded. O'Callaghan said the development and rollout of the social impact fund is a 'key priority' for the GRAI, which will have 35 employees in place by the end of this year. A consultation process on the social impact fund has only recently concluded. Wall told The Journal : 'People who are dealing with gambling addiction desperately need the Social Impact Fund operational as soon as possible.' Advertisement He said the fund – which will invest in educational and awareness initiatives, research and training – must be established as soon as possible. He pointed to recent research that found over 20% of Irish 16-year-olds, mostly boys, have gambled in the last year. 'This is not just a statistic; it's a reflection of the real and growing crisis affecting our youth,' Wall added. O'Callaghan outlined to the Kildare South TD that licence holders will contribute to the fund at a rate based on a percentage of their annual turnover. 'Public and private bodies which support people with experience of gambling harm and/or gambling addiction through treatment will also benefit from the fund,' O'Callaghan added. Following the commencement of the GRAI's work, staffing levels will increase through 2026 and 2027 and the new laws become fully operational. Among the measures to be introduced under the new Gambling Regulation Act 2024 is a ban on free betting opportunities for individual users, a ban on the use of credit cards to lodge money into gambling accounts and stricter regulations on advertising. Gaming companies will be required to verify the identity of their users through requesting photo identification, and the law will also make it an offence for users to create gambling accounts for those under the age of 18. The Journal previously reported that the only section of the law that has been enacted is the legislation activating and formally establishing the regulatory body, the GRAI. This means the industry is in no way legally required to make operational changes at this time. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
21-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
Ireland to impose 'heaviest penalties' in Europe on companies that allow children to gamble
Ireland will soon have the 'heaviest penalties' in Europe for companies that allow children to gamble, the industry regulator has said. The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland made the statement in response to a new European-wide survey that showed a significant increase in young people in Ireland who have gambled in the last year. The data also showed that rates of gambling among young people here are well above the European average. 'One of the principle aims of the Gambling Regulation Act is to protect young people from the harms of gambling,' the regulator told the Irish Examiner. 'Child protection is one of the key principles of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 and will therefore be a major focus of our work.' European survey The EU's Drug Agency on Tuesday published the eighth edition of its European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs. It surveyed 114,000 students aged 15-16 across 37 European countries including Ireland last year. While it found that the use of cannabis, cigarettes and alcohol is falling among Irish teens, gambling is on the rise. In Ireland, it found that 29.1% of young people in that age group had gambled in the last year. This was an increase from 24% in 2019. This rose to almost a third (31%) of males while it dropped to 27% for females. Almost one in five males aged 15-16 (19.4%) said they'd gambled online in the last 12 months while 13.6% of females said they had. There were significantly higher numbers reporting gambling in-person, at 27.9% of males and 24.9% of females. In advance of being granted its powers, the Gambling Regulatory Authority had commissioned the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) to conduct research on gambling in Ireland, including among young people. A recent study found that online gaming in adolescence and young adulthood 'strongly correlated' with both online gaming and gambling frequency at age 20. When the Gambling Regulation Act is fully commenced, the country's gambling regulator will have sweeping powers to crack down on gambling operators and dish out significant fines for breaching the law. Under the law, financial sanctions can reach up to €20m or 10% of a company's turnover, whichever is higher. A firm allowing a child to gamble will furthermore carry a potential penalty of eight years' imprisonment. Licencees and owners of gambling websites will not be allowed to sponsor an event aimed at children, an organisation, club or team in which children are members and an event in which the majority of those attending or competing are children. Separately, an advertising watershed will apply and any advertising that targets children and portrays gambling as attractive will be illegal. The regulator added: '[We] acknowledge the findings of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs for 2024 and take note of the findings. '[We are] committed to fulfilling our mandate as an independent regulatory body, and we will continue to keep public health at the centre of everything we do. This commitment is reflected in our mission to effectively regulate and educate in order to safeguard current and future generations from gambling harm.'
