An attempt by Ireland lawmakers to exempt charities from the nation’s Gambling Regulation Bill 2022 has been defeated. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Defeated amendments

An attempt by Ireland’s government to exempt charities from the nation’s Gambling Regulation Bill 2022 has been defeated.

lost 69 votes to 55 and 68 votes to 66

On Wednesday, politicians debated the issue in the Dáil, the lower house of the Irish legislature. Two amendments to leave charities out of the TV advertising ban lost 69 votes to 55 and 68 votes to 66.

James Browne, Minister of State at the Department of Justice, had proposed leaving some charities out of the broadcast betting ban between 5:30am and 9pm that is included in the Gambling Regulation Bill.

Charities offering over €10,000

Charities with prize money of €10,000 ($10,723) or less would have been excluded from the ban. This aims to prevent gambling companies from advertising when young children may be watching TV.

the move is “bonkers” and a “problematic piece of legislation”

Sinn Féin spokesman on finance Pearse Doherty said the move is “bonkers” and a “problematic piece of legislation” affecting charities and sports clubs. Doherty specifically pointed to how this will impact GAA clubs, a community-based volunteer organization promoting Gaelic games, and charities that offer prizes greater than €10,000.

As such, these would have to wait until the 9 pm watershed before being allowed to advertise.

Browne, who argued Sinn Féin’s amendment was a “wild west scenario,” said that the threshold of €10,000 would only apply to advertising and that organizations could continue to offer prizes of a higher value.

Helping people

When Browne introduced the Gambling Regulation Bill in December, he said that it would help the lives of those affected by problem gambling. However, some in horse racing claim it will wipe out the €2bn ($2.18bn) industry while gamblers could end up in jail for tweeting.

While horse jockey Ruby Walsh doesn’t disagree that those with gambling issues must be helped, he does take issue with how the Irish government is going about it.

“I’m not naive to think Irish racing with disappear overnight but it will begin the slow decline,” Walsh said. “When that starts it’s very hard to turn the wheel.”