Irish parliamentarians are listening to proposed changes to the Gambling Regulation Bill that will make it more palatable to the racing interests, the Racing Post reported December 10.
Senator Paul Daly, a former chairman of the Kilbeggan racecourse, says he is optimistic about changes being made to the bill that Racing TV and Sky Sports Racing say demand to keep them from abandoning covering Irish races.
The bill was introduced in the Dail (Ireland’s legislature) in the summer. The racing broadcasters have warned that a proposed ban on advertising between 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. would make their businesses untenable in Ireland.
Senator Daly said he expects the amendments to be made before the bill becomes law.
He declared, “I’m fully supportive of the aim of the Gambling Regulation Bill to tackle the issue of problem gambling. There are amendments being worked on with regards to the bill and we have been assured there will be amendments introduced, but right now we are in a bit of a vacuum until we see what they are.”
Daly added, “If a bookmaker is sponsoring a certain race and they have a big sign advertising their brand at the last fence, that’s no problem. Commentators can broadcast the odds from the track during coverage and reference market movers. The only thing the watershed is affecting is direct advertising during the ad break on radio or television.”
He noted that the law would forbid a bookmaker from offering a free bet to a customer who hasn’t wagered for a period of time.
He concluded, “The media rights money is an integral part of all racetracks, hence why this is such a concern within the industry and we have been working as hard as we have on this to try and come up with a solution.”
