Oireachtas group recommends ban on gambling ads before 9pm watershed

It remains to be seen how such a ban would affect billboards and bookies' shopfronts

Large Advertising board isolated on the sky, copy space.

A BAN on “all forms of advertising” by betting companies – before the 9pm watershed - has been recommended by a powerful Justice Committee report on gambling regulation.

Such recommendations will impact how large firms market and publicise their brands, and is expected to form a significant piece of the Gambling Regulation Bill, which is due to be passed into law next year.

The ‘Joint Committee on Justice Report on Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Gambling Regulation Bill’ also states evidence that there are 3,400 15- and 16-year-olds “engaged in problem gambling in Ireland”.

The Committee also recommends an evaluation on the links between sports and gambling advertising – most specifically in the racing industry, where ties between high profile personalities should be assessed to determine if they influence minors.

Other recommendations in the report include the introduction of automated software to verify a customer’s age when registering for an account with an online gambling website and the ability to allow background checks on applicants to evaluate “financial vulnerabilities”.

While advertising restrictions are fully expected by the gambling industry, the Justice Committee’s report marks a significant development with such recommendations being made formally by an Oireachtas working group.

Witnesses and stakeholders of the gambling industry, whose views were considered and contained in the report, argue that advertising “is an important tool for licensed operators to communicate with customers”.

They added that “a right to advertise by regulated operators should form part of the regulatory framework around gambling and highlighted that if advertisements were banned entirely this would equalise the position of unregulated offshore providers”.

Submissions from representatives of the health industry stated: “It is hard not to see a gambling advert when turning on the radio, TV or (when looking) at social media.” 

The report’s recommendations are far stricter than those being imposed in the UK, where no such bans are likely to be ordered. Instead, controls are expected on the types of advertising that may be deemed attractive to an underage audience.

While the report does state “all forms of advertising”, it appears to focus on digital and broadcast, and it doesn’t indicate how newspaper and billboard advertising will be affected under proposed watershed rules.

Betting office advertising and bookies themselves are still in the dark about how they will be affected by the upcoming Bill.

Late last year Minister-of-State for Law Reform, James Browne, who is overseeing the legislation process indicated that betting shops may have to change completely, as shopfronts could be deemed a form of advertising.

The report’s focus on sport and sponsorship will be of particular interest to many as the Bill makes its way to the houses of the Oireachtas, and how advertising of gambling at horseracing might be affected or if it is deemed unsafe for minors attending race meetings.

For now, it recommends that the situation be evaluated, “particularly in terms of sports advertisements aimed at young people”.

The Justice Committee’s findings also provide a considerable question mark over the amounts staked on bets, and appears to recommend stake limits but doesn’t say if these should be imposed by the industry or by the regulatory authority (gambling regulator).

While the recommendations are not binding, they will certainly raise considerable interest across the entire betting landscape, one which is facing unprecedented change.

Chair of the Committee, James Lawless, said that the working group had identified several issues and made recommendations on these findings.

“Among the areas identified for further examination include the prevalence and impact of gambling advertising, particularly on young people; measures to protect vulnerable individuals from developing a problem addiction; Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals; and the self-exclusion scheme for gamblers,” said Deputy Lawless.