Betting shop law ‘costs State €23m’

The State is losing more than €20m a year due to an 80-year-old restriction on the opening hours of betting shops, retail chiefs warn.

A 1931 law which forces betting shops to close at 6.30pm for six months of the year is due to be reformed, but industry leaders fear the legislation will not be passed in time to stop the curb kicking in for a final time in September.

The restriction forces betting shops to shed the equivalent of 500 jobs through reduced working hours and lay-offs, said David Fitzsimons of Retail Excellence Ireland.