Flutter describes new Irish gambling legislation as a "critical milestone"
Chairman Ian Proctor admits industry “has not always got it right” with responsible gambling as legislators give landmark bill green light
Flutter has welcomed Ireland’s new Gambling Regulation Bill as it received approval in Parliament yesterday.
The new legislation will see the creation of a Gambling Regulatory Authority for the first time and is the biggest change to legislation in the country since the 1950s.
Ian Proctor, Flutter UK and Ireland chairman, welcomed the new legislation and stated the operator will work constructively with the new authority.
The new bill will see strict restrictions on marketing, with gambling ads banned on TV and radio between 5:30am and 9pm every day.
The bill also includes a ban on all gambling enticements such as hospitality, VIP treatment, free bets and special offers.
Proctor said: “As a long-standing advocate of evidence-based safer gambling measures and a well-resourced regulator in Ireland, Flutter welcomes the imminent publication of the Gambling Regulation Bill.
“This development is a critical milestone and represents clear progress towards the establishment of a new authority, which needs broad powers to respond to our dynamic and fast-changing industry.”
The Gambling Regulatory Authority will be led by senior civil servant Anne Marie Caulfield as CEO after she was appointed on a four-year term in September.
Proctor added: “Flutter fully recognises that the industry has not always got it right in the past. However, our business has made significant strides in recent years in our safer gambling approach.”
He also highlighted some of the FTSE 100 operator’s safer gambling measures, including the £500 per month net deposit limit for under 25s and the group’s Play Well initiative.
Specifically in Ireland, Flutter has introduced a ban on credit card gambling and implemented a €10 stake limit on slot products.
The group also set a goal at a global level that 75% of active customers will be using its safer gambling tools by 2030.
The operator did try to argue during the debate phase that it should be able to retain VIP programmes to high rollers, saying that it would identify those at risk and not offer them such services, but this argument proved unsuccessful.