Government to establish independent statutory gambling authority

The Government has announced plans to set up an independent statutory gambling authority with power to impose a levy on licensed gambling facilities.

The plans, outlined by minister David Stanton, mark a break from previous plans to set up a gambling control office within the Department of Justice.

Mr Stanton, explaining the Government’s position on RTÉ’s This Week programme, said legislation to establish the new authority would hopefully be enacted by the end of the year.

He said it would have power to grant and scrutinise license applications and oversee how operators comply with gambling legislation.

The proposed gambling levy, which would be imposed by the new authority, would be used to establish a Social Gambling Fund providing treatment for problem gamblers and research into gambling.

Mr Stanton said a working group would report by the summer on other provisions of the bill dealing with caps on the number of gambling licenses and limitations on advertising of gambling.