All bets are on

The Government’s failure to set adequate legal limits for the Irish gambling industry is tarnishing all operators and disregarding the problem of addiction, writes Claire O’Sullivan.

GAMBLING in Ireland is a typical hotchpotch of the regulated, unregulated and over-regulated. The legislation that governs the area is the 1956 Gaming and Lotteries Act which aside from some revisions in 2004, remains largely untouched.

Online betting is a free-for-all, while licences are required for arcades and bookmakers. Casinos are theoretically illegal.