Ireland’s gambling regulator to establish industry consultant panel

Ireland’s gambling regulator was established under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 last year, to oversee the formation of Ireland’s gambling regulatory framework. It will oversee the awarding of licences for all Irish gambling activities, except for the national lottery.

Earlier this month (5 March), the GRAI officially came into force with the appointment of seven staff members. However, GRAI CEO Anne-Marie Caulfield has been in the role since 2022, to help establish the regulator and guide its setup.

Speaking to iGB this week, Caulfield said the body was seeking to establish a panel of industry consultants to ensure the sector is involved in establishing the market’s standards.

“It is our intention to involve the industry, making them aware of where we’re coming from and the measures that are to be introduced,” she said.

Many of the standards being brought into force will be put through public and industry consultation processes as they roll out in the coming years, she added.

Ireland’s gambling regulator’s chief also noted it had already met with a number of major betting companies and smaller gambling enterprises over the last two years.

GRAI’s industry panel will be one of many such informative groups, as it will also look to establish a “lived experience panel”. This consultancy group will bring forward accounts of individuals who have suffered gambling harm.

Caulfield noted that given the number of measures that have been delegated to the regulator, it would look to create various stakeholder panels to keep it informed.

Industry concerns over lack of gambling experience

There have been concerns from the gambling industry that a nascent regulator would not have the sector-specific experience to oversee gambling in Ireland.

None of the seven new staffers assigned to the regulator have prior experience in gambling. They include a senior psychologist and clinical lead for addiction services, a former CEO for the nation’s government procurement office and a former media commissioner.

Local gambling lawyer Carlo Salizzo told iGB last year there was a view from some industry stakeholders that the regulator would have to be educated on the appropriate rules and measures required.

“Stakeholders I’ve spoken to are concerned that they are going to have to educate the regulator on how the industry works, in particular in the gaming sector. I think less so in other sectors where there may be more modern regulatory experience to draw on, but that’s not to say that there isn’t a steep learning curve there as well,” Salizzo said.

Ireland gambling regulator will not entertain lobbying

Whenever any nascent legislation is in the works it is common for stakeholders on both sides to lobby governments on the issue. The legislative push for Ireland’s Gambling Regulation Act 2024 was no different.

The Irish minister of state at the department of justice, James Browne, a key driver of the act, told the Irish Times last year that he had faced “extraordinary” levels of lobbying from the sector as the bill was being passed.

Caulfield told iGB that the regulator is “not going to entertain” lobbying from the sector.

“We have a lobbying register in Ireland and if companies do approach us, I’m one of the designated officials in that legislation. They’re legally obliged to register that they have approached me with a view to getting something changed.”

Ireland created the Regulation of Lobbying Act in 2015, setting out the rules on lobbying within its democratic process.

Under the act, if a government minister or “designated public official” is approached by a lobby group, it must be registered with the state and its intentions and backers made clear. Failure to do so results in sanctions and fines.

“From our perspective, the legislation is there now, and we’re going to implement it strongly and robustly,” Caulfield said.