McDowell vows to close down ‘members’ club’ casinos

CASINOS will be banned in Ireland under legislation being brought forward by Justice Minister Michael McDowell.

Yesterday, he said up to 20 casino-style establishments were now in operation in Dublin under the guise of members’ clubs. These clubs are unlawful, he asserted.

However, the minister said it was difficult to bring prosecutions against them under the current laws because of difficulties in gathering and presenting evidence.

He said he would seek Government approval within the next few weeks for the move, and include the provisions as amendments at committee stage to the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill which was published yesterday.

Members’ club-style casinos have proliferated in Dublin in recent years, with some offering players the chance to play roulette and blackjack.

But yesterday Mr McDowell signalled his intention to close down all establishments engaged in those operations.

He said games that favoured the bank or house, such as roulette or blackjack, were unlawful, while poker sessions where the establishment was not taking a cut of the pot were not.

“Those who operate casinos under the aegis of members’ clubs think that somehow the law does not apply to them,” he said.

Saying that it did, Mr McDowell said that enforcing the law was nonetheless problematic at present.

“There are evidential difficulties for the gardaí to show that the odds on a roulette wheel favour the bank.

“To prove this just by observations is very difficult,” he said.

Mr McDowell expressed his concerns about the dangers of such gaming activities ending up in the wrong hands.

“Unless you have licensed gambling, the potential for money-laundering is very obvious.

“It was never the intention that anybody could run what is a casino under the rubric of a club,” he said.

He also contended that such casinos were more damaging to society than positive.

“They are not adding anything to quality of life in Ireland over a long period of time,” he said.

Another key provision of the bill is the establishment of a legal services ombudsman.

This will have an oversight role on the handling of complaints by the Law Society and Bar Council of complaints by clients of solicitors and barristers.