I would like to thank the members of the International Masters in Gaming Law for their kind invitation to speak to you today in advance of your conference here in the Shelbourne Hotel over the next two days. I am pleased that Dublin has been chosen to host your Autumn Conference and I hope that you all enjoy your stay in the city.
I hope that the pre-conference reception yesterday evening was enjoyed by those who attended.
I do not intend to speak for long as I have examined the programme and note that discussions will be taking place on a diverse range of topics over the next two days. I appreciate that you will be anxious, therefore, to commence the conference proper as soon as you can.
By way of background, I have only recently been assigned responsibility for the progression of gambling policy in the Department of Justice and Equality. I was previously Chairperson of the Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality. I look forward to meeting the challenges that will present themselves in my new role.
The area of gambling is one that has been, and continues to be, subject to continuous change, particularly in the areas of technology and on-line gambling. I note that your initial discussions will focus on what is occurring in Ireland at the present time in the gambling field.
In that regard, I am keen to address the fact that here in Ireland we may not have kept abreast of the many developments in this area. It is clear that our legislation in this area is outdated requires updating to meet modern regulatory challenges, particularly as it compares to the majority of our European counterparts.
In response to this, I intend to pursue the publishing of legislation at the earliest possible opportunity that will entirely overhaul our current laws as they relate to gambling. The only exception to this will be the legislation dealing with the National Lottery, which was updated in 2013.
Pending the bringing forward of the main Bill, I have asked my Department to examine whether there are any individual pressing areas of concern, intended to be dealt with in the Bill, which could be dealt with sooner by separate legislative measures.
The proposed Heads for new legislation, which were approved by Government in 2013, and remain at drafting stage, aim to license on-line gambling for the first time in Ireland, as well as providing for the licensing of “modest” sized casinos.
The Heads also provide for the establishment of a regulatory body with responsibility for licensing, compliance and enforcement activities.
The protection of minors and other vulnerable persons is one of the core principles underpinning the legislation. While recognising that gambling is an activity that is enjoyed by a large number of persons, and that most can do so responsibly, it is vital that appropriate protections are in place for those who need them most. In this regard, I am particularly interested in the outcomes of your discussions in the area of social responsibility.
There are also developments in the money laundering area with the 4th Anti Money Laundering Directive requiring domestic ratification in 2017. The Directive provides for the extension of controls to forms of gambling other than casinos, and this will present great challenges for regulators. My own Department will have a central role to play in this area and I will be monitoring developments closely.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is due to visit Ireland before the end of the year and I will be very interested in the report that the Task Force will produce.
I also note the inclusion of a discussion on sports integrity & betting on the conference programme. This is becoming an ever increasing problem for sports governing bodies, the betting industry and gambling regulators. We all know that the issue has been the subject of intense media reporting over the last number of years with some high profile sports personalities being implicated. The Council of Europe Convention against the manipulation of sporting competitions will provide challenges that are currently being examined in the appropriate Government Departments.
The draft legislation I referred to is intended to deal with this issue, and the provisions contained therein were arrived at as a result of drawing on experiences in other states in dealing with this issue.
As I referred to earlier, the gambling area is one that is subject to constant change, particularly from an on-line perspective. Since the Irish Government approved the legislative proposal in July 2013, a number of issues have come to the fore that will require attention during the drafting process. My officials continue to engage with the gambling industry and counterparts in other jurisdictions in this regard. I note that a number of these issues – eSports and Daily Fantasy Sports in particular – form part of your deliberations in the coming days. These topics are relatively new from an Irish, and a larger EU perspective and our approach to them will be informed by, amongst other things, the conclusions of this gathering.
The result of the Brexit referendum presents a number of challenges for Ireland. However, I also see that there are opportunities arising for the country. We possess a highly skilled workforce, particularly in the IT area. I would suggest that Ireland is a very attractive proposition from the perspective of gambling operators looking to locate their operations in an English speaking EU member state post-Brexit. However, I appreciate that this is a discussion for another day, and that we need to move forward with our regulatory structure in the gambling sphere in the meantime.
In conclusion, I would like to thank the IMGL again for their kind invitation to speak to you here today. I wish you every success in your endeavours over the next two days and I look forward to receipt of the report of the conference in due course. Finally, I hope you all enjoy your stay here in Dublin – it may present you with an opportunity to see a bit more of our country. I wish you all a safe journey home at the conclusion of the conference.
THANK YOU.