TENS OF THOUSANDS of illicit slot machines could be in use across Ireland as casino and gaming arcade operators openly flout rules that effectively ban the ‘one-armed bandits’ from many parts of the country.
While the largest share of the money went online, more than 20% – or around €83 for the average adult – was lost on slot and gaming machines. Regular gamblers are estimated to account for about 80% of the total gambling losses per country. That leaves open the possibility that more than 30,000 unlicensed or improperly licensed machines – those being run illegally under cheaper ‘amusement machine’ permits – are in action, although other industry figures say the likely figure is a fraction of this tally.
With 40,000 machines, Ireland would have the highest per-capita tally in Europe behind only the tiny principality of Monaco – and a ratio roughly on par with that in Australia, widely considered to be the world’s slot machine capital. The whole sector is an absolute basket case in terms of the total absence of regulations, the total absence of enforcement of the legislation as it stands and the zero protections for vulnerable people,” he said. Source: ShutterstockIn Ireland, the gambling industry is governed by the Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1956. Confusingly, the laws explicitly ban slot machines, only allowing for machines “designed for amusement” that pay back no more than the amount at stake.
The laws were partially updated in 1975, when the Finance Act allowed for the licensing of gaming machines. It remains legal in Bundoran, where the urban council approved gaming in 1974, while councillors for the Letterkenny and Inishowen urban districts narrowly voted to permit gaming earlier this year.
Revenue refused a Freedom of Information request for a list of gaming licence-holders citing rules around taxpayer confidentiality. There’s a consensus that there’s a need to update our rules and introduce a regulator, but the existing laws should be applied. Because if they’re not, it gives free reign to everyone within the sector to stretch the breaking of the laws as far as they can,” he said. One machine advertising a jackpot of more than €10,000For years there appears to have been only sporadic policing of the industry.
Revenue did not respond directly to Noteworthy’s questions on whether it had conducted any previous projects targeting unlicensed machines, or how casinos had been able to operate in apparent breach of the licensing laws for years. Dick Roche, a former Fianna Fáil minister who has lobbied on behalf of the LGAI, said the authorities had been hamstrung by archaic legislation which was difficult to enforce.
At Dr Quirkey’s Good Time Emporium on O’Connell St, the city centre’s largest casino and amusement arcade, hundreds of machines were in operation either bearing no licences or recently expired amusement machine licences. Neither venue responded to requests for comment. However these are just two examples of Dublin gaming operators’ approached in the face of the effective licensing ban, as none of the machines observed in any city centre venues were in use with the correct permits displayed.
The same teen was immediately stopped on entry at one other premises in the area, while he was turned away from several more before placing a bet. An Garda Siochána, which investigates breaches of gaming laws surrounding stake and prize limits, did not respond directly to questions on how gaming operators were able to continue business in disregard of the regulations.
If people are playing these machines for fun, then small stakes are fine. What’s the point of having a law there if it’s not policed?” he said. Dr Quirkey's Good Time Emporium on O'Connell St Source: psyberartist/FlickrFollowing the Revenue crackdown, a number of Dublin operators applied to the district court for gaming licences in an apparent challenge to the four Dublin councils’ bans.
The operators, which also include several Dublin-based private members clubs, have appealed the decision to the circuit court. He declined to comment on unlicensed operators continuing to deploy slot machines or breaking existing rules around stakes and prizes.
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