Online gambling was notably absent from Northern Ireland’s plans to update its gambling laws, unveiled by the province’s social development minister Nelson McCausland late last week.
Announcing the overhaul following a meeting of the Northern Ireland Executive, McCausland said changes to its Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (NI) Order, which dates back to 1985, were necessary to address the fast-changing modern gambling enviroment and to ensure compliance with EU provisions.
“My priority is to minimise the effects of problem gambling”, said McCausland, referencing a Gambling Prevalence Survey conducted as part of an extensive review of the laws initiated back in 2009, which found 2% of the Northern Ireland adult population had a problem with gambling, around twice the incidence found in Great Britain.
NI’s proposals to address the modern gambling environment however did not include the regulation of online gambling, instead updating the regulations within its current law relating to bookmaking offices, on-track betting, bingo clubs and lotteries, and inserting a new section dealing with the protection of children and young people.
Online operators will therefore be able to continue offering online gambling to NI consumers without any form of local licence so long as their equipment is not physically located there.
The country’s new law will include new measures to protect children and young people, while NI will also adopt Great Britain’s gaming machine categories and standards, making it an offence to allow under 18s to gamble on the machines. There will also be a partial lifting of advertising restrictions, while bets in licensed bookmakers’ offices will become legally binding contracts as opposed to just “Gentleman’s agreements”.
Further positive news for online casino operators was provided by McCausland’s announcement that the current ban on land-based casinos in NI will remain in place, as will the current ban on bookies and bingo halls opening on Sunday.
Article written by Stephen Carter
