The government of Ireland plans to bring the country’s outdated gaming regulations into the 21st century.
A new bill will be introduced in the Dáil requiring offshore operators to obtain Irish licenses before offering betting services to Irish customers, similar to new regulations coming into force in the United Kingdom, and imposing a betting duty on transactions involving Irish customers.
Neither provision is included in the laws currently governing the industry: the Betting Act 1931, the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956 and sections of the Finance Act 1992.
Provisions also will establish consumer-complaint and age-verification procedures and more controls on advertising and will require all remote and land-based operators to pay a 1 percent tax on all wagers, which last year totaled an estimated €1.6 billion.
The bill includes a cap on the number of casinos, which mostly operate ostensibly as members clubs, allowing no more than 40, and will restrict the number of table games per venue to 15.
