Irish Gambling Bill: Debates on Bonuses and Ads
Ireland’s Gambling Regulation Bill 2022 is still being debated by the government. Two points that have come up recently are online casino bonuses and ads that target potential players. Some senators have called for both of these to be banned.
Irish Senators Calling for Bans on Online Casino Bonuses and Ads
The Irish government has resumed debating the Gambling Regulation Bill 2022. It’s come to light that there are some senators who want to take an extreme approach by banning not just ads but bonuses too.
The argument for banning online casino ads is that they can target vulnerable people. They may also portray gambling in a way that’s too positive and unrealistic.
As for bonuses, the reason some people want them banned is because free bets and other incentives can target vulnerable people, just like ads. Bonuses are, in some people’s opinion, an unnecessary entry point to online gambling.
In the Gambling Regulation Bill 2022’s early draft, a complete ban on gambling-related bonuses was proposed. However, this was removed in May after Justice Minister James Browne said banning all bonuses would be impossible.
He claimed that it would be more realistic to ban targeted bonuses instead. With the bill now at the upper house, Seanad éireann, there are fresh calls for the blanket ban on gambling bonuses to go ahead.
Lynn Ruan, an independent senator, backs a ban on all bonuses. Her argument is that other products and services don’t give away things for free. She had this to say on banning bonuses:
These types of inducements are an entry point into gambling for young people. There are clear examples of inducements being banned in different contexts. The national lottery is not allowed to provide tickets for free or at a reduced rate; alcohol retailers are prevented from operating happy hours or loyalty card programmes; and retailers are legally prevented from supplying voucher coupons for tobacco products. – Lynn Ruan, Irish Senators Back Bonus Ban, Focus GN
Another Senator, Mark Wall, agrees with Lynn. He has said that free bets and other incentives by casinos should be banned so that the most vulnerable of people can be protected from harm.
Browne has defended both bonuses and ads. His argument for not banning either of them is that the gambling industry needs to be able to communicate directly with its customers. If it can’t, people will turn to unlicensed casinos instead.
He’s also mentioned that other companies that offer digital content are allowed to promote directly to potential consumers; some of them do so quite aggressively. The gambling industry, in his opinion, should have the same opportunity.
While it’s unlikely that bonuses and ads will be banned outright, something else that could face a ban is lottery betting. The retail association RGDATA wants the government to introduce a lottery betting ban.
The reason for this is straightforward: when people place wagers on lottery results, commissions for retailers are negatively affected. It also results in less money for the Irish National Lottery and the good causes it champions.
The RGDATA estimates that the Irish National Lottery could make 20% more money per year if a ban on lottery betting were to go ahead. Other countries have banned this practice, though it remains to be seen whether Ireland will.
Tara Buckley, who is RGDATA’s director general, said the following in a letter to Ireland’s Public Minister for Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe:
Rather than continuing to allow Ireland to be a laggard in EU terms in continuing to allow Lottery Betting, does it not make eminent sense to use the current legislative opportunity to outlaw this practice. – Tara Buckley, Ban on Lottery Betting in Ireland Called For, Focus GN
The Gambling Regulation Bill 2022 still has to pass a few stages before it’s signed into law. As part of the bill, Ireland will also set up a new regulatory authority to oversee gambling activity in the country.
