IRISH GAMBLING RESTRICTIONS PREVIEWED
Monday, September 26, 2011 : Time delays on credit card transactions and restrictions on advertising among latest proposals
Ireland's extensive reform of its land and online gambling sectors appears to be moving apace, with Justice Minister Alan Shutter previewing some of the proposals in an interview with the Irish Examiner over the weekend.
He said that time delays are to be introduced on the use of credit cards for online betting, along with restrictions on advertisements promoting gambling that portray the pastime as fashionable or trendy.
Online gambling providers will be required to operate "due diligence checks" or KYC minimums on customers, and that could include enforcing a 12-hour delay between when players register and when they are allowed actually to play.
Apparently the thought is that this would help deter under-18s from attempting to use their parents’ credit cards, and players could be required to provide online confirmation of their identity or age or register for PIN numbers.
The new laws, not expected to be implemented until next year, will for the first time govern online gambling and betting providers through licensing and tax measures.
On the land side of the industry, Las Vegas-type gambling resorts have been ruled out which effectively will shoot down plans for a Euro 460 million investment in a super casino in Tipperary.
It is not clear at present how Irish online betting is to be policed and regulated, a consideration especially relevant to those operators who have located their internet services offshore in an extremely competitive industry.
The British government is currently making moves to require offshore operators wishing to access the UK market to secure secondary licensing and pay taxes.
Other provisions in the draft relate to the protection of the underaged and problem gamblers, including staff training measures and strict regulations for licensed operators, along with severe penalties for unlicensed operators who risk accessing Irish gamblers. There is also talk of a system of fines and possibly even prison terms for offending gambling providers.
