2018 Pre-Budget Submission to the Department of Finance regarding the current betting tax
(August 2018)
Once again we have teamed up with Problem Gambling Ireland and made a pre-budget submission to the Minister for Finance regarding the betting levy.
Read our submission here. It's one year on from our last submission - countless more lives have been destroyed by gambling addiction and still no action has been taken by the government.
We are urging the government to show leadership and to take our message on board.
What can you do? Speak to your local elected representative and ask them why gambling is still totally unregulated and why there is no access to services for families in distress! When the doorbell rings and a potential presidential candidate is looking for your vote ask them what they intend to do about the fact that the Gambling Control Bill is now 5 years old and still not even close to being drafted properly or enacted.
Public Health Alcohol Bill
We support the Public Health Alcohol Bill that is currently under consideration because we see first hand the harms caused to individuals and their families by alcohol. We believe that as a nation we can do more to mitigate these harms and that this Bill will start to address our cultural attitude to alcohol which should in time deliver better outcomes for all.
You can read more about the Public Health Alcohol Bill here:
http://alcoholireland.ie/measures/
You can support the Public Alcohol Bill by contacting your local elected representatives - we did!
http://alcoholireland.ie/campaigns/bill/
Gambling Control Bill
Currently in Ireland there is little or no regulation of the Gambling Industry - no prevalence research, no plan to reduce the harms caused and no accountability by the Gambling Industry. We are calling on the Government to debate and enact the Gambling Control Bill without delay.
Why? We need to regulate advertising and sport sponsorship; we need to have self exclusion measures that protect problem gamblers; we need stricter laws around young people and gambling; we need enforcement; we need research; we need education and awareness; we need a social fund that will help families access treatment - and we need the industry to contribute appropriately (an industry that makes hundreds of millions in profits each year).
If you would like to read more about the Gambling Control Bill you can read more here.
To support us urging the Department of Justice and the Government to act now please send us an email to maebhleahy@rutlandcentre.ie and we will forward to the department. Alternatively please email the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality
2017 Pre Budget Submission to the Department of Finance regarding the current betting tax
This week, 13th June 2017, we have submitted a joint submission with Problem Gambling Ireland to the Dept of Finance in response to their Betting Tax Review commitment. You can read the information from the Department of Finance here
It is extremely difficult for individuals and families access help for a gambling addiction in Ireland and we feel that if some of the betting tax currently collected by the state was diverted to education, prevention and treatment rather than going to industry organizations, this would be a step in the right direction until the Gambling Control Bill is enacted. You can read our submission here and please email your local elected representative if you support the proposal.
2017 Submission to the Department of Justice regarding the Miscellaneous Provisions Bill
In October 2017 we were invited to offer feedback on proposed changes to the Miscellaneous Provisions Bill in relation to gambling. You can read our joint submission with Problem Gambling Ireland here.