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Northern Irish Government Department to Hold Public Consultation About Problem Gambling
October 2, 2019 Kristina Vujadinovic
A spokesperson of the Northern Irish government department announced that a public consultation on problem gambling will be held.
Department of Communities for Northern Ireland said it intends to hold the consultation in order to ensure the next minister for communities is well-prepared to create a new gambling policy when the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly sit again after collapsing in 2017.
“The Department for Communities is responsible for policy and legislation relating to gambling and keeps all legislation for which it is responsible under regular review. The Department intends to carry out a public consultation, to include all stakeholders, on gambling issues in the near future. This preparatory work will ensure that an incoming minister can make a decision on the way forward on gambling as soon as possible after he or she takes up post,” the spokesperson said.
Lack of Regulations
Because of the absence of the Executive and Assembly, the region has not seen any new legislation regarding gambling ed in recent years.
Its gambling market is regulated under the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 and not the Gambling Act 2005. This includes the law ed in 2018 to reduce maximum stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs).
Still, operators in Northern Ireland have voluntarily introduced the same £2 limit in the region as in the rest of the UK’s markets regulated by the UKGC.
Importance of the Consultation
The problem gambling public consultation can be a good step towards a more regulated market. Mark Baillie, policy officer for a charity CARE NI, states it is extremely important to understand the scale of the gambling problem in the region.
He has also expressed its hope that new policies regarding problem gambling would be introduced when the Executive and Assembly are restored.
“We welcome excellent news that the Department of Communities is planning on holding a public consultation on gambling issues in the near future. It’s crucial this consultation is wide-ranging and focuses on how we can get better information about the scale of problem gambling, as well as reforms to our existing laws. As Lord Duncan itted in the House of Lords just a few weeks ago, we have an extraordinary problem with gambling here in NI,” he said.
In his opinion, Northern Ireland is in desperate need of more comprehensive gambling regulations.
“While for some gambling is just harmless fun, for a significant minority it causes actual devastation and the effects are felt by individuals, families and whole communities. The recent exposure of the flaws in our existing gambling laws is also just another reminder as to why we urgently need Stormont to be restored so our elected representatives can get on with their jobs of deciding on policies to protect vulnerable people, like problem gamblers,” said Bailie.
He added that they are looking forward to more information from the Department of Communities on this important consultation soon.
Also, Bailie adds it vital that the consultation is not unduly influenced by the gambling industry and hopes it would not have too great an impact over the course of the consultation.
Source:
“NI to hold problem gambling public consultation”, igamingbusiness.com, October 1, 2019.
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Well, it’s about time that the government tackles the gambling problem in our country, and hopefully soon make safe, regulated market for players to enjoy.