The Irish Government passed a landmark bill in the country last month that would see online gambling regulated in Ireland for the first time. However, leading operator Lottoland has called on the government to reconsider some of its stances and to engage with the gambling industry over some of the legislations.
Restrictive Proposals
Lottoland commissioned research that showed 75% back the government’s plans to introduce stricter regulations through the bill. However, the operator believed that the restrictive proposals would alienate some players and operators and could push people towards the unregulated market, which would be counterproductive to the bill’s purpose.
The operator’s survey shows that 19% of current gamblers in Ireland would seek alternative options if the regulations were too restrictive. Almost a third of the respondents were unaware of the changes, which suggests that the numbers who could look elsewhere may be higher once people have had the time to understand what these restrictions could look like.
Lottoland believes that some of the toughest restrictions are around the win and wager limits being imposed. Some games would have a betting limit of €10 and a maximum win limit of €3,000. These numbers would be significantly lower than they are in many other European markets.
Greater Engagement
Mike Kirwan, vice-president of Lottoland has said that his company supports much of the bill and believes that many aspects will be great for the Irish gambling industry. However, Kirwan believes that there may be some unintended consequences.
As such, Kirwan has reached out to Minister James Browner to engage with the wider gambling industry and discuss the situation with industry experts. He believes that completing the bill and its outlines as a collaborative effort will be better for all those involved and will provide a safer environment for players and a competitive marketplace for operators.
The bill will be ironed out in parliament in December. However, there is the small matter of the Irish general election before then, with the country heading to the voting booths on Friday, November 26th to determine the make-up of the 34th Dail.
