New Irish gambling regulator launch by the end of 2021

Ireland's Gaming and Lotteries Bill 2019 was signed into law in December 2019, and all expectations were that it will be implemented in 2020. Even although Minister of State David Stanton announced in May 2019 that the legislation will be ready in 18 months, that was not the case.

Helen McEntee, the Minister for Justice, has announced that the country's gaming regulator will not be operational until at least 2021. Since we are in a post-pandemic age, Covid-19 appears to have had an impact on a variety of factors, and we can claim that this delay is linked to the Corona Virus.

Residents of Ireland have had access to hundreds of successful internet casinos in recent years. Nonetheless, without a regulator to oversee this burgeoning industry, several risks are posed to the public, as many people would struggle to distinguish gambling from a game or a hobby.

Ireland is concerned about high levels of gambling addiction among its citizens, and the government, through Justice Minister Helen McEntee, has stated that they are still working on a bill that will regulate advertising, gambling websites, and applications.

The minister of justice, Helen McEntee, indicated that there are several obstacles in the way of implementing the new legislation, including the scale, complexity, and technological issues in the gambling business, which require up-to-date remedies.

The new regulator is expected to address stakes and prize limits on gaming machines, as well as gambling site advertisements, which have become increasingly common as you will see advertisements for gambling on television at all times, posing a threat to your children who need to understand that gambling is not appropriate for all age groups and should be approached with caution.

Helen McEntee stated that work is currently in progress and that her department is working relentlessly to complete the law and implement the essential modern licensing and regulatory arrangements for the Irish gaming business.

According to McEntee, the process must be thoroughly investigated since the regulator must be appropriately equipped to cope with the Irish gaming business.

Currently, Ireland boasts a large number of online casinos that offer exhilarating gambling experiences to gamblers. We will see a lot more operators invading the country after the gambling regulator is formed since with a regulatory agency, operators will have full confidence to function well under the government.

The gambling industry in Ireland is worth billions of euros, thus establishing a regulator as soon as possible is critical, since it will be a win-win situation for both private operators and the government in terms of income creation.

As we wait for additional information from the government on the introduction of the gaming regulator, we can only hope for positive results by the end of 2021, given how long we have been waiting for the bill.