Is Gambling Illegal In Northern Ireland
- Is Gambling Illegal In Northern Ireland Right Now
- Gambling Laws In Northern Ireland
- Is Gambling Illegal In Northern Ireland 2020
- Is Gambling Illegal In Northern Ireland Now
- Is Gambling Illegal In Northern Ireland Today
Prevalence of Drug Use and Gambling in Ireland and Drug Use in Northern Ireland 3 Prevalence of Drug Use and Gambling in Ireland 2014/15 (Adults 15+ years) Key Findings in Ireland: u26.4% of Irish adults aged 15 years or older report using an illegal drug in their lifetime, 7.5% in the past 12 months and 4.0% in the past month. Efforts to regulate online gambling in Northern Ireland must be taken to another level, a Stormont minister has said. Communities minister Caral Ni Chuilin said new laws would be brought before. The poll for gambling law reform was conducted when the gamblers and bettors returned to the markets in Northern Ireland after three months. The markets reopened on July 3, 2020, following the COVID-19 pandemic. LucidTalk asked the gamblers about how they want gambling to be conducted in the country.
Launched in December 2019, the Northern Ireland Department for Communities carried out a public consultation into the state of the current legislative regime for gambling in Northern Ireland.
The 'Regulation of Gambling in Northern Ireland Consultation' document (the 'NI Consultation') was published in order to gauge public opinion on a wide range of gambling legislative and regulatory issues, the underlying purpose being to determine whether and where reform is necessary (particularly in the eyes of those working within the gambling industry) to bring the Northern Irish legislative regime into line with advances in the modern industry.
Click here to view the Consultation in PDF format.
Current Legislative Position in Northern Ireland
The primary legislation in Northern Ireland in respect of gambling is found in 'The Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985' (the '1985 Order'). It is modelled after the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act 1963, the Gaming Act 1968 and the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976, which were the key statutes as regards gambling in Great Britain ('GB') prior to 2005.
The Gambling Act 2005 did however serve to modernise gambling laws in GB, replacing somewhat archaic laws which were not suitable for the demands of, or advances in, the gambling industry in modern day GB.
Gambling in Northern Ireland has also evolved since the 1985 Order, yet (unlike GB) no such legislative reform has taken place. This has left Northern Ireland with a regime described by the Stormont 'All Party Group' tasked with reviewing this area as being 'hopelessly out of date' in the internet age.
The NI Consultation
The NI Consultation addressed a wide base of issues related to three overarching themes:
Is Gambling Illegal In Northern Ireland Right Now
- The Future of Gambling in Northern Ireland: this addressed whether some forms of gambling which are permitted elsewhere, but not in Northern Ireland, should be permitted and regulated. Examples of issues raised included: whether casinos should be permitted to operate in Northern Ireland; whether premises which are licensed to sell alcohol and registered clubs should be able to offer poker, bingo and other equal chance gaming; and should promotional prize competitions and draws be permitted in Northern Ireland, similar to that in GB;
- Sector Specific Issues: this addressed specific issues in the core areas of gambling that the 1985 Order applies to, namely: betting; commercial bingo clubs; gaming machines; and lotteries (other than the National lottery). Ultimately the Consultation raised the question of whether the law in these areas should be amended to bring things more into line with GB, for example: should those who cheat at gambling commit an offence, regardless of the success of the outcome?; should the sale of lottery tickets over the internet be permitted?; and should higher stakes and prizes jackpot machines be permitted in bookmaking offices, bingo clubs and amusement arcades where entry is restricted to those aged 18 and over?
- Licensing, Enforcement and Regulation: the current licensing and enforcement arrangements were considered. Most notably it was queried whether the PSNI is the most appropriate agency to enforce gambling law and whether an altogether new regulator should be established to oversee the gambling in Northern Ireland (as in GB).
Response to the NI Consultation and Looking Ahead
By way of example of the responses received to the questions posed by the NI Consultation:
- 63% of responses were in favour of the introduction of land based casinos in Northern Ireland;
- 66% of responses were in favour of bookmakers and betting shops opening on a Sunday;
- 93% of responses were in favour of the introduction of a new regulatory body to oversee gambling legislation; and
- 97% of responses wanted to see focus on research/education/treatment in respect of those affected by gambling addiction.
Click here to view NI Consultation response summary tables in PDF format.
Whilst there has therefore been varying levels of support for reform in the different areas covered by the NI Consultation, it is absolutely clear that change is being called for by those within the gambling industry in Northern Ireland.
Gambling Laws In Northern Ireland
Gambling laws could of course be developed to mirror that of GB and Ireland, giving Northern Ireland legislation an outlook that is more reflective of the state of gambling in Northern Ireland today. However, the political and religious sensitivities in Northern Ireland cannot be ignored and will be factored into any decisions taken by the legislators in Northern Ireland - making the timing of any reform difficult to predict.
Current Legislative Position in Ireland
The law in Ireland on gaming and lotteries changed on 1 December when the Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Act 2019 (the '2019 Act') came into effect. Among other things, the 2019 Act updates the significantly outdated prize and stake limits under the current legislation, and introduces a standardised minimum age of 18 for all forms of betting. (See our briefing on the 2019 Act here.) (For a high level overview of gambling regulation in Ireland, see our contribution to the Practical Law Guide: 'Gaming in Ireland', which is accessible here.)
This article contains a general summary of developments and is not a complete or definitive statement of the law. Specific legal advice should be obtained where appropriate.
ELIG Gürkaynak Attorneys-at-Law
Market research and innovative polling-based company in Belfast, LucidTalk carried out the latest research on behalf of CARE NI. It is a social policy charity that organizes campaigns for change in gambling laws.
Is Gambling Illegal In Northern Ireland 2020
The current gambling legislation in Northern Ireland was approved and imposed back in 1985. However, the denigrator argues that now it is old and not following today’s digital age. As a result, CARE NI has organized a campaign to bring fundamental modifications to the former law. They gathered over 1878 responses through the campaign.
What were the responses given by the Gamblers?
The poll for gambling law reform was conducted when the gamblers and bettors returned to the markets in Northern Ireland after three months. The markets reopened on July 3, 2020, following the COVID-19 pandemic.
LucidTalk asked the gamblers about how they want gambling to be conducted in the country. The majority of the public responded that maximum prizes and stakes online must be regulated by the gambling law. However, 8% of the public said there should be no gambling limit.
Majority of Public Demands for Mandatory Levy
The survey also found that there is extensive support for an obligatory levy on all gambling and betting companies. This would ensure secure gambling across the country. Overall, 90% of people supported the idea of obligatory levy for gambling companies, whereas 5% of people were against the idea of imposing a mandatory levy on those companies.
Moreover, it said that money raised by the charge could be funded to treat the people who are addicted to gambling or who are into gambling-related harms.
A research was conducted by the Department for Communities back in 2017. They observed that the country’s harmful gambling popularity rate was 2.3 %. When compared to England, it was just four times higher.
The harmful gambling practice rate in England is 0.5%, Wales is 1.1% and Scotland is 0.7%. In 2019, the Department of Communities collected the public’s opinion on this problem, but the final report isn’t published yet.
CARE NI offers Secretariat to Northern Ireland’s All-Party Group on minimizing gambling-related harm. Recently it advised the NI Executive to consider reforming the gambling laws.
Immediate Measures to Combat Problem Gambling
Mark Baillie is the Public Policy Officer at CARE NI. According to him, the existing gambling regulations in the country are quite old and belong to a different world when there was no existence of online gambling. As there was three to four months lockdown due to the pandemic. Now, after the reopening of gambling firms, people are more excited to return to gambling practices.
However, in Northern Ireland, people are more addicted to gambling and involved in harmful gambling. This implies that there is an immediate need to reform the gambling laws that will assist in reducing the harmful gambling practices across the country.
The poll made by LucidTalk reveals that the majority of the country’s population supports prize and stake limits on online games. Not just that, they also want a mandatory levy on all gambling and betting companies.
A few days back CARE NI advised the Department of Communities to publish the problem gambling survey, which was carried out last year. It also gave the current survey report for problem gambling.
Moreover, they warn that the gambling industry must act on it immediately, and politicians should consider this issue as their top priority. He also advises supporting vulnerable people who are affected by problem gambling.
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