It comes after the minister steering the legislation through the Oireachtas proposed an amendment to it to “strengthen the hand” of the regulator in restricting free bets being offered to the public, after the topic was subject to fierce debate in the Seanad in recent weeks.
The culmination of the passing of the legislation comes over 11 years since the government first proposed new laws to bring the regulation of gambling in Ireland into the 21st century.
The Gambling Regulation Bill is seen as one of the key laws the Government aims to get over the line before calling the general election.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin previously said he would be “very upset” if the law was not passed in the lifetime of this Government.
“Gambling is a terrible disease,” he said. “It’s a shocking addiction, because it can wreck even worse than alcohol. It can wreck families financially and in so many ways.”
Research from the ESRI published last year suggested one in 10 adults are now either problem gamblers or report gambling has caused multiple problems in their lives.
While the UK has had a regulator for the gambling industry for almost two decades, no such entity has yet been granted powers in Ireland.
Under the Gambling Regulation Bill, a new regulator will be established with powers of enforcement against the industry along with curbs on advertising and related matters. Gambling companies that breach the law could face substantial fines of up to €20m, or 10% of their turnover.
Junior Justice Minister James Browne had faced scrutiny in recent weeks over an amendment to the legislation that would allow free bets to be offered by gambling companies to the public in general, but ban them from being targeted at any specific group.
Senators had argued free bets would “entice” gambling addicts back to bet again, and Mr Browne told the Seanad last week he had concerns himself when he “looked at it more carefully”.
“We have also put in the power for the gambling regulatory authority of Ireland to put in further restrictions as it sees necessary to restrict the types of offers that may be made and how they may be offered,” he said.
“It really does strengthen the hand of the authority and the minister to go even further as they see necessary.”
Barry Grant, a counsellor and project manager at Extern Problem Gambling, said promotion of ‘free bets’, ‘free spins’ and other inducements to gamble “are a regular source of relapse for the people who use our services”.
“Equally concerning is the reality that free bets and free spins also induce young people to start gambling. We see the harming impact first hand and when young people see the glamorous advertising around inducements, we see the extraordinary struggle they are under,” he said.
