Restrictions in the Government’s proposed gambling legislation could drive people to bet on the black market, according to a leading industry figure.

The Gambling Regulation Bill went back before the Seanad this week. The legislation includes stake and win limits on some forms of betting, as well as a broad restriction on gambling advertising before the 9pm TV watershed.

Daragh Fitzpatrick, on-course bookmaker and a member of the board of State body Horse Racing Ireland, warned this week that some of the restrictions could encourage more gamblers to go to the black market, virtually eliminated here when Government cut betting taxes more than 20 years ago.

He argued that this trend was emerging in the UK which is introducing tougher restrictions on punters. “I’ve seen reports from the UK in the last two weeks that it is rampant there,” Mr Fitzpatrick said. He added that the similarities in both markets meant the Republic often followed suit.

Figures published by consultants Frontier Economics, commissioned by Britain’s industry body the Betting and Gaming Council, show that 1.5 million British people now bet a total of £4.3 billion (€5.16bn) with unlicensed operators every year. Around £2.7 billion of the total is staked on online sports, including horse racing, as well as casino games and poker.

Mr Fitzpatrick, who operates only at racecourses and not online, pointed out that the industry did not object to regulation. “We’re already one of the heaviest regulated industries in the country,” he said.

Restrictions proposed by the law include limits on bets at blackjack and roulette and lotteries to €10 and winnings to €3,000. The law also bans all gambling advertising between 5:30am and 9pm. This includes specialist channels such as Racing TV, which covers all Irish horse racing, and is a subscription-only service limited to over 18s.

The Irish racing industry, a key employer in rural Ireland, has already warned this could damage the sport as it threatens the viability of Racing TV’s coverage, a key source of income for racecourses and the sector generally.

Mr Fitzpatrick joined calls for specialist racing channels to be excluded from this provision.

The Bill aims to modernise the Republic’s antiquated betting and gaming laws. It creates a new gambling regulatory authority, introduces news licensing rules, strengthens consumer rights and aims to protect vulnerable people.

Bookmakers, HRI and other interested parties have broadly welcomed the legislation. However, the betting industry and independent lottery operators have pointed out that it has several flaws, some of which discriminate against individual businesses or sectors.

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