Sinn Fein MLA proposes NI gambling laws reform
Sinéad Ennis of Sinn Fein, Northern Ireland’s largest Irish nationalist party, has submitted proposals to reform the country’s gambling laws, which have not been revised since 1985, to introduce a gambling regulator, rules for online gambling and a ban on bonuses.
The proposals consist of the party’s Problem Gambling Policy document, created in response to the Northern Ireland Department of Communities’ consultation on possible modifications to gambling laws in Northern Ireland, launched in December 2019.
Ennis said, “The current gambling laws in the north are out of date. I have submitted our party proposals to modernise the law to bring it into line with changes in technology and new forms of gambling, such as online, fixed-term betting odds and casinos.”
The Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985, the current Northern Irish gambling legislation, does not have any mention of online or mobile gambling due to its age.
“The reality is, online betting has no closing time. Smartphones are a casino open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We need legislation which is properly equipped to regulate these websites and help protect the most vulnerable, Ennis said.
The existing legislation only refers to people under 18 not being allowed into a licensed betting office. The British Gambling Commission’s jurisdiction does not extend to the region and Northern Ireland also does not have an independent gambling regulator.
The proposed regulator would administer a Problem Gambling Fund to minimise problem gambling, which would be financed by a mandatory levy on the industry. Sinn Fein cited New Zealand’s “polluter pays” style of formula as a way to determine how much this tax should be.
Sinn Fein explained, “Currently, when it comes to avoiding and responding to problem gambling, only voluntary codes of practice exist, and these are created by various sectors of the industry themselves. Different sectors of the industry also lay blame for problem gambling at the door of others and call their competitors out either for not following existing legislation or their own codes of practice. All sides paint a picture of confusion, light-touch regulation, and inadequate control.”
“That said, it is important to recognise these codes of practice as welcome efforts by the industry itself, made in the absence of necessary government action”, he added.
Sinn Fein’s other proposals include a ban on bonus offers, a system similar to Svenska Spel’s Playscan gambling monitoring program and restricting advertising before 9 PM.
The new gambling regulator would also “explore” the introduction of deposit limits and daily time limits for people identified as at risk of problem gambling and impose rules on advertising.
“Problem gambling does not only affect the gambler; it has wider implications for society and lasting impacts on relationships with family and friends. Sinn Féin is committed to tackling problem gambling north and south. The most effective way to do that is through modernised and fit for purpose legislation”, Ennis said.
