Ireland will exempt charities and sports clubs from new gambling advertising rules

The Department of Justice will exempt clubs from all restrictions.

Ireland.- It’s been reported that the Department of Justice will fully exempt sports clubs and charities from new gambling advertising rules. The original proposal was for an exemption for games with prizes of up to €10,000, but complaints from backbenches and opposition politicians has reportedly led to a complete exemption.

Ireland’s proposed gambling legislation will impose a ban on gambling ads on TV before the 9pm watershed. However, clubs and charities argued that including their products would affect fundraising for good causes.

Speaking in the Dáil, junior justice minister James Browne, said: “We have acknowledged the concerns from the deputies that there needs to be an exemption for the charities and sporting organisations.”

However, he added that measures would be taken to protect charities from “bad actors” who enter the charity and sporting sectors and abuse the exemption. He noted that the €10,000 limit would only affect large charities, accounting for around 5 per cent of all charities.

Irish gambling bill

Ireland’s Gambling Regulation Bill was due to come into effect last year, but it has been held up in the Dáil since July due to disputes on criminal code reforms and horse racing funding. There is still no clear timeline for its enactment, which will lead to the creation of the Gambling Regulatory Authority under CEO designate Anne Marie Caulfield.

The horseracing sector remains concerned about the bill’s proposed ban on gambling advertising on radio and television between 5.30am and 9pm. Its call for an exception to be made for subscription horse racing channels has been rejected so far. Now, horse racing officials are proposing a give-and-take solution: a complete 24-hour ban on gambling adverts on TV but with subscription channels excluded.