Bookies support gambling initiative

REPRESENTATIVES of more than 80% of Irish bookmakers have agreed to support “responsible gambling” by signing up to an agreement with leading charity Gamcare.

The Irish Bookmakers’ Association has announced reaching “an agreement in principle” with the British-based Gamcare to highlight the importance of responsibility when it comes to gambling and to provide support services for those with gambling problems.

The association is also lobbying the Government to get all bookmakers to contribute towards responsible gambling programmes through a portion of their licence fee.

“The new agreement will formalise our long-standing relationship with Gamcare,” said Sharon Byrne, commercial director of Bruce Betting and chairwoman of the Irish Bookmakers’ Association. “We have long been conscious of our social responsibility to recognise and deal with the difficulty which betting presents to a small number of those who use our services.”