- Gambling Law In Northern Ireland 2019
- Gambling Law In Northern Ireland 2020
- Gambling Law In Northern Ireland Canada
December 23, 2019
The Department for Communities has today launched a consultation on gambling regulations in Northern Ireland and has asked for the for the views of all parties with an interest in this issue, so that relevant evidence can be taken into account when deciding the future of gambling regulations.
Northern Ireland law in respect of gambling is contained in ‘The Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985’ (the “1985 Order”). The 1985 Order is broadly modelled on much older law from Great Britain (the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act 1963, the Gaming Act 1968 and the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976).
The Department accepts that the current legislation is outdated and has not kept pace with industry and technological changes; it is also complex and inflexible and it has been explained that the purpose of this consultation is to seek views on the appropriateness of the current legislation and to identify areas of gambling activity which should be included in any future legislation on gambling in Northern Ireland.
Gambling Law In Northern Ireland 2019
A new report from the Northern Ireland Office has exposed the shocking lack of support that currently exists for problem gamblers in NI. The report, which examines gambling law and policy in NI, was required under the recently passed Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Act and there will be a debate on its contents at Westminster this week. Apr 13, 2020 The current laws, which were last updated in 1985, support the regulation of gambling in Northern Ireland. This includes betting across a number of platforms, such as in bookmakers, and at dog and horse racing tracks. Betting or gambling in game arcades and amusement parks are also cited.
The consultation is split into three sections: (1) the future of gambling in Northern Ireland (with reference to casinos, poker, remote gambling, advertising and prize competitions, as well as problem gambling and the protection of children); (2) sector specific issues (focussing on betting, commercial bingo clubs, gaming machines and lotteries); and (3) licensing, enforcement and regulation (focussing on current licensing arrangements, enforcement and the future regulatory framework for Northern Ireland).
The consultation will last for 10 weeks from 16 December 2019 to 21 February 2020; a link to the consultation can be found here.
Topics
Gambling reform is in the spotlight right across the UK.
The laws in Northern Ireland have varied from Great Britain for some time.
In Great Britain, the Gambling Act 2005 was introduced to bring together disparate historic gambling laws. The Act ushered in a more liberal and permissive approach, but also gave birth to the Gambling Commission.
However, the Gambling Act 2005 did not encompass Northern Ireland and the gambling laws in Northern Ireland remained unchanged. The rules in Northern Ireland have been disconnected from the rest of the UK ever since, and, significantly, the Gambling Commission's remit does not extend to Northern Ireland.
The Department for Communities carried out a consultation on gambling laws between last December 2019 and February 2020. The consultation received around 382 responses, with the majority being from interested individuals, and a quarter being from organisations.
Some of the main headlines are that there appears to be 'strong support' for the creation of an independent gambling regulator (or gambling commission) for Northern Ireland. In fact, around 90% of respondents supported the establishment of such a body.
Gambling Law In Northern Ireland 2020
If you read my recent article about the origins of the Gambling Act and the latest trends in GB, you might be surprised to learn that the majority of respondents in Northern Ireland (around 60%) wanted to see the law being reformed to allow casinos to operate in Northern Ireland, where they are currently illegal.
Gambling Law In Northern Ireland Canada
An even bigger majority (66%) also wanted to see bookmakers and betting shops being allowed to open on a Sunday.
Almost all respondents (97%) agreed that the industry should contribute to 'funding research, education and treatment' for those with gambling addictions.
The Communities Minister is expected to make an announcement on the detailed findings and proposed 'next steps' in the coming weeks.
It is not clear whether and to what extent these steps will tie in to the reforms to gambling laws which are expected in Great Britain.
Stormont will obviously have an eye to developments in the Republic of Ireland and in Great Britain. With the Brexit transition period coming to an end on 31 December 2020, the UK government might see it as an opportunity to try to harmonise gambling laws across the UK - but that might be overly ambitious if reforms are to be expedited on both sides of the Irish Sea.
Gambling updates
Finally, if you're interested in other gambling related posts from the team at Lewis Silkin, you can find more of them here.
'A number of questions have been posed throughout this paper on a range of issues. It will fall to the next administration to make final decisions on gambling reform and promote the necessary legislation.' - Dept for Communities