The gambling industry in Ireland enjoyed a freehand for a number of years as there was very little regulation since the industry was governed by the outdated Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956.
The Irish government has been under pressure for the last few years to amend the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956 as anti-gambling opponents claimed that existing regulations was not doing enough to protect Irish gamblers. The major emphasis was on online gambling as the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956 did not sufficiently address the iGaming industry.
Ireland came out with its Interim Gaming and Lotteries Act in December 2020 which looked to establish a gambling regulator, impose new regulations on iGaming operators, streamline the licensing process for gaming and lottery operators and protect Irish gamblers from gambling harm.
The new gaming regulator is expected to enforce significant restrictions on gambling advertising. While there are laws in place for media and online gambling advertising, those laws don’t sufficiently address advertising carried out by retail bookies at their premises.
Paddy Power which is one of the more popular betting operators in Ireland has built a strong brand image at its retail betting outlets by using its familiar outdoor signage. A survey done by Lansdowne Market Research showed that over 40 percent of their respondents said they immediately recognized a Paddy Power retail betting shop by just looking at the outdoor signage.
Just about every land based outlet or store in Ireland makes use of outdoor signage to advertise their products and services. Retail bookies are Ireland are no different but it looks like they might have to change their outdoor advertising protocols as the Department of Justice is now looking into the gambling advertising using outdoor signage.
The Department of Justice is also looking to push licensed gambling operators to accept Irish Bookmakers Association (IBA). The IBA is similar to a union that represents retail and online bookmakers in Ireland and their interests.
The IBA has put in place a safer gambling code to ensure that all its members are on the same page when it comes to compliance. ,a href=”https://www.top10sportsbettingsites.net/reviews/william-hill”>William Hill is one of the operators that have not been very keen on accepting the IBA safer gambling code. The IBA is yet to comment on the Department of Justice’s proposal to change retail gambling advertising rules.
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