An Leas-Chathaoirleach: I welcome the Minister of State. The debate will proceed in the normal manner, with the Minister of State having 15 minutes, group spokespersons 12 minutes and all other Senators six minutes. I call an Aire Stáit.

Minister of State at the Department of Justice (Deputy James Browne):  I am happy to present the Gambling Regulation Bill to the House. This is an important and necessary Bill to address and regulate gambling in Ireland.

I know the Bill has significant support and I look forward to Senators' contributions.

The Internet has made gambling easier to access than was ever thought possible. Everyone, including children, has relatively easy access to gambling sites on phones. Therefore, it is vital to have a robust regulatory environment in which people can enjoy themselves, operators are properly regulated and our children and those vulnerable to problem gambling are protected.

The Bill’s primary objective is to ensure there is a robust and modern regulatory and licensing framework for gambling. It provides for the establishment and statutory functions of a body, to be called “Údarás Rialála Cearrbhachais na hÉireann” or “the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland”. The Bill balances the freedom to gamble while ensuring the protection of children and prevention of harm to those vulnerable to problem gambling. The Bill aims to: ensure that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way so that licensees may operate with certainty; address problem gambling to protect children and regulate gambling advertising; and prevent gambling from being a source of support to crime.

I am conscious that many will have strong views about gambling either way, but Senators will appreciate that legislation must balance all interests. In 2017, it was estimated that the size of the gambling sector was worth approximately €6 billion annually. There is little doubt but that this figure has increased exponentially in the seven years since. Therefore, the industry has a significant impact on our economy and employment. Furthermore, gambling is an important fundraising activity for many charitable and philanthropic organisations. Many people gamble for fun and, for most, it is nothing more than that. However, gambling comes with a risk that exists on a spectrum. Sadly, many who started out gambling for fun have developed problem gambling. The ESRI’s 2023 report on problem gambling highlighted that 3% of our population had an issue with problem gambling, ten times more than previously thought. This underscores the need to meaningfully address problem gambling and its harms and reinforces the need for proper regulation. Therefore, it is vital to establish an appropriately empowered regulator that can operate and respond with speed and agility when considering the scale, complexity and constantly evolving nature of the gambling sector. This Bill provides safeguards to ensure that a balance is struck between appropriately regulating licensees while protecting those vulnerable to problem gambling. Furthermore, preventing gambling as a means of funding criminality must be paramount.

I will now outline the Bill’s main provisions. Part 1 contains standard legislative provisions common to all legislation. Part 2 provides for the establishment, statutory functions and funding of the authority. It will be operationally independent but subject to appropriate oversight. There will be seven members of the authority, including its chairperson, and the Bill provides for the role of a chief executive responsible for the authority’s day-to-day management.

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