Ireland’s new Gambling Regulatory Authority has officially been established by Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan.
Minister O’Callaghan approved the appointment of seven members of the regulator, which will be headed up by chair Paul Quinn alongside other members Celine Craig, Marion Kelly, Rita Purcell, David Hickson, Michael McGrath and Dr Colin O’Driscoll.
“Today marks a new era for the regulation of gambling in the Irish State,” said Minister O’Callaghan. “The establishment of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland is a further step towards replacing Ireland’s outdated gambling laws with a streamlined and simplified licensing framework, which will reflect the nature of modern gambling and take into account the harms associated with problem gambling, providing safeguards to protect people from those harms, especially children.
“It is designed to meet the challenges of gambling responsibly in 21st century Ireland, providing clarity for operators and for consumers and taking a responsible approach to balancing the freedom to gamble with the safeguards to protect people from falling prey to addiction.”
The newly appointed members will now join CEO Anne-Marie Caulfield and her staff in commencing the authority’s operations and legislative powers on a phased basis.
This includes, as a priority, work on progressing the licensing process, with a view to inviting applications for some licence types within the coming year.
“I am delighted to have been appointed chair of the new Authority and I look forward to working with my fellow Authority members and the Executive as we begin regulating this very important sector,” said Quinn. “Our role is to make sure that gambling is well regulated and fair, that standards are in place and monitored, and that protections are there for those who are most vulnerable, particularly children.
“Anne Marie Caulfield and her team have undertaken very important development work which will allow the Authority to commence its vital work without delay. We look forward to building a high standard of protection for consumers and to ensuring the integrity and fairness of gambling operations in Ireland”.
Caulfield said she looked forward to working with the new Authority to progress the work which has been undertaken.
“We have undertaken a lot of work to understand the extent of gambling in Ireland, the drivers of gambling harms and the impact of inducements and advertising on gambling behaviours,” she said. “We have also engaged with a broad range of stakeholders including with industry, charities and people who have lived experience of harm caused by gambling.”
Caulfield confirmed that the establishment of a new licensing regime is well underway and that the Authority has appointed its senior management team in licensing, consumer protection, compliance, IT, enforcement and corporate services.
She added that development work on licencing and operational financial models has been completed with the aim of ensuring the new regulator can quickly become self-funding.
The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland regulates in-person and online gambling, gaming, betting and certain lottery activities, including bingo. It does not regulate the national lottery, which has its own regulator, or regulate fundraising conducted by political parties.