352. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Finance the number of applications for a gambling licence, remote or in person; and the number that were successful and refused respectively, in each of the years 2015 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form. [50392/21]

Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Finance: I am advised by Revenue that it issues Remote Bookmaker Licences, Remote Betting Intermediary Licences and Bookmaker Licences on receipt of a Certificate of Personal Fitness, tax clearance certification and the relevant Excise licence fee from the applicant. Revenue also issues Gaming Licenses on receipt of a District Court Certificate, tax clearance certification and the relevant Excise license fee from the applicant. Where this information is not provided it is not possible for Revenue to issue a license.

The Certificate of Personal Fitness is a requirement under section 5 of the Betting Act 1931 and is administered by the Department of Justice who has responsibility for the regulation of gambling in Ireland. A Certificate of Personal Fitness is provided directly by that Department to entities that reside outside the State or by the Garda Siochana where the entity ordinarily resides in the State.

The numbers of licences issued by Revenue in each of the years 2015 to 2020 and to date in 2021 for each (license) category are set out in the table below. Revenue does not maintain statistics on ‘refusals’ as licenses are only issued where all the relevant documentation is received.