Illegal casinos "abound" in Northern Ireland, two leading bookmakers allege. Independent bookmakers Gary Toal and Paul McLlean told a Stormont commission that, in some cases, legal bingo and gambling premises turn into illegal operations at night.
These unregulated venues allow gamblers to place larger bets than they could elsewhere, according to the commission.
Appearing before the Assembly Communities Committee, Toal and McLlean said police lack the personnel and resources to deal with the problem.
Members of the committee are currently examining the Betting, Lotteries and Amusements Bill, which is seen as the first major change to gambling legislation in Northern Ireland in 35 years. Gambling is currently regulated by the Betting, Gambling, Lotteries and Amusements Order, which dates back to 1985.
In May, Community Affairs Minister Deirdre Hargey said the province's gambling legislation was in urgent need of updating. "Gambling legislation has remained virtually unchanged since it was enacted thirty-five years ago," Hargey said. "As a result, gambling regulation has not kept pace with industrial and technological change. In my opinion, change is long overdue."
Gambling law reform will be introduced in two phases. The first phase will include a statutory levy and a mandatory code of practice. The second phase of the reforms will take place over a "much longer timescale" and will involve a "completely new regulatory framework", including the regulation of online gambling.
Support for an independent regulator has grown in Northern Ireland. Following a consultation in 2019, the Department for Communities reported receiving almost 400 responses in favor of establishing a gambling commission.
Meanwhile, 63% of respondents said they believed the law should be changed to allow casinos in Northern Ireland. The proposal also received support from local governments. Of the six local government organizations and councils surveyed, only one responded and was not in favor of allowing casinos.
"It is clear from our consultation that citizens are happy for some of the existing legal constraints on gambling to be relaxed. But they also believe that government, the gambling industry and others need to do much more to prevent, control and combat pathological gambling."
