Ireland may Ban Online Poker and Gambling

According to the Independent, Minister for Sport Martin Cullen has threatened to ban online poker and gambling in Ireland if bookmakers do not pay more money to the Exchequer for the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund.

The most recent figure passed by the government to be made available to the Fund is €68.128m — slightly down from the original estimate of €69.7m. This figure will be confirmed in tomorrow’s emergency budget.

However, the Minister said that government funding for the horse racing industry was drying up, and in the future, Irish bookmakers and offshore gamblers would have to foot the bill. He also suggested that more than €100 million could be created from a levy of 0.5 percent on Internet gambling.

This, of course, has caused a mixed reaction. Horse racing and greyhound industries generally support the government’s plan, but bookmakers such as PaddyPower are afraid that it will only lead to more unemployment.

Other movements in this area recently saw Minister for Justice Dermot Ahearn planning a two-step process for the regulation of Irish card rooms and casinos. This "process" will see the establishment of a gaming control section in his department, and the current out-dated gambling code will also be revised.

Last week, Minister Martin Cullen said, “There are choices to be made, and I am making it clear to the industry that we will make those choices. The ultimate choice would be to ban it. That approach has been taken in America and perhaps it will be taken in other countries as well. However, I do not want to go down that road. I believe there is a means of taking action."

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