Ireland To Ban Gambling Advertising in Sport?

It seems that regulatory changes on one side of the planet ­trigger a completely negative effect on the other and vice versa. Recent developments in Europe regarding gambling advertising have started a debate all over the old continent, especially in Ireland and Italy.

Facebook and Google have already banned gambling adverts in ­Bel Paese (The Beautiful Country) and the president of Ireland, online gaming platforms and that sport should be protected from it.

Political Campaign Shenanigans

To put it differently, Higgins is getting ready for the next term, since the campaign for the presidential election is due in October 2018. Ireland’s current president even took the opportunity during the interview to bring up recent developments regarding multiple high-profile gambling-related cases in the country. The most talked about story includes certain Davy Glennon, who managed to gamble away €70,000 of stolen money.

For this reason, Higgins emphasized the importance of education, saying that many problems in Ireland have been ignored for not being properly addressed in the school system. He also itted that not everything can be solved through education, thus referring to the fact that the country’s politicians hold far greater power in of ing new laws.

Following Italy’s Footsteps

The gambling industry in Ireland is struggling with frequent regulatory changes, even though the country’s betting tax remains at 1%. However, the president is convinced that Italy’s latest decision to ban all gambling related adverts could well be a wake-up call for Ireland as well.

The Gambling Control Bill still hasn’t been finalized, despite the government’s green light on the general scheme from five years ago. In the end, it remains unclear whether Higgins’ ceremonial role as the country’s 9th president will be more successful in his second term. The president also expressed high expectations for the matches between Clare and Galway teams after Saturday’s exciting clash at the Croke Park.

Source:

“President Michael D Higgins wants gambling advertising removed from sport”, independent.ie, July 31, 2018.