Soon, although no-one can say with any degree of certainty exactly when, Ireland’s private members’ clubs will have to decide whether to raise their bets or fold their cards, writes Simon Liddle.
New legislation is coming to the Emerald Isle, new regulation that will legalise casinos – up to 40 of them - for the first time. It has been a long time coming and there is still time to wait yet, but the consensus at the Irish Gaming Show held in Dublin last month was that in order to comply with EU money laundering laws, Ireland must bring its gambling laws into the 21st century.
Announced by Minister for Justice Alan Shatter last year, the Gaming Control Bill would repeal Ireland’s antiquated gaming and betting regulations, which are now over half a century old. Under the bill, the number of casinos will be limited to 40 and no casino will be permitted to have more than 15 tables, while the limit for slots has been tentatively set at 25. However, it remains merely a consultation paper and therefore has no legal basis until it is passed into law.
Following responses to the consultation and new recommendations, the bill is currently being drafted. Primary enabling legislation could be published towards the end of this year, but it is unlikely to reach the floor of the Dáil Éireann until 2015 unless a development - criminal activity, for example - forced emergency legislation to be passed.
What this means for those of the country’s private members’ clubs that are operating slots and gaming tables, which could already number 40 but again, no official record is made public, is a new burden of compliance and taxation. It is this, said David Hickson of the Gaming and Leisure Association of Ireland, and himself an operator of the Fitzwilliam Casino and Card Club in Dublin, that will force gaming operators to make a hard choice: change their way of doing business or walk away from the business entirely.
Read the full article in the April issue of InterGaming
