MICHAEL D: BAN GAMBLING ADVERTISING IN SPORT
PRESIDENT Michael D Higgins has called for a ban on gambling advertising in sport, while a Fianna Fáil TD has branded the issue a ‘silent, social epidemic’.
Speaking yesterday from the All-Ireland hurling semi-finals in Croke Park, President Higgins said he would like to see legislation on advertising of gambling in sport, as well as the further protection of vulnerable players.
‘If I had my way, I wouldn’t have advertising of any access to gambling platforms in sport at all. I really worry when I read the cases,’ President Higgins told RTÉ Radio 1’s Sunday Sport.
Stories around gambling, including sporting heroes who have suffered from gambling addictions, ‘really worry’ him, said the President, who did not elaborate on whether he would include a ban on all advertising or just TV advertisements.
He referenced the recent highprofile cases of sports heroes who struggled with addiction, including Galway hurler Davy Glennon, who avoided prison earlier this year for the theft of €70,000 which was used for gambling. The forward has returned to the sport and was introduced as a substitute in Saturday’s game between Galway and Clare.
‘For far too long in Ireland we often ignore problems that are staring us in the face,’ President Higgins said. ‘I’m very well aware of what happens when players retire. The GAA has a scheme that is an outreach scheme that is very good. But also I am very concerned about gambling. I think, in a way, we should protect our sports by keeping them free from this kind of stuff.’
The Gambling Control Bill 2018 is currently in its second stage, but has yet to progress to committee stage for discussion.
The Bill is an update of legislation drafted by former justice minister Alan Shatter in 2013, and the Government has recently come under criticism for allegedly having allowed it to fall by the wayside. Current legislation regarding gambling dates back to the 1930s.
Fianna Fáil TD Anne Rabbitte is one of the three deputies to introduce the Bill at the second stage as a Private Members Bill. She said yesterday that the proposed legislation will regulate the advertising of gambling platforms, introduce an independent regulator and bring in a social fund to support people struggling with a gambling addiction, to which the industry would have to contribute.
The Bill prohibits the advertising of gambling specifically targeted at children, and also puts an onus on bookmakers to provide information on gambling responsibly, and of possible risks from the misuse of gambling in their shops and online.
The Government, which is now backing the Bill, has previously discussed bringing in an independent regulator for the industry. The sector is currently regulated under an office within the Department of Justice.
Ms Rabbitte welcomed the President’s voice on the issue of gambling, which she branded ‘an epidemic crisis in this country’.
‘Gambling is an addiction that’s no different to alcohol,’ said Ms Rabbitte, who introduced the Bill with colleagues Jack Chambers and Jim O’Callaghan. ‘But this is a silent, social epidemic and has a far-reaching effect.’
Ms Rabbitte called on the Government to progress the Bill which, she points out, has been with the Government for several years. A statement from the Department of Justice said that in January of this year, the Government approved the establishment of an independent regulatory authority for gambling.
It also approved the establishment of an Interdepartmental Working Group to review the General Scheme of the Gambling Control Bill 2013 ‘with a view to bringing forward revised proposals in due course’.
‘I am very concerned’ ‘Silent, social epidemic’