Like most gaming conferences, the Irish Gaming Show usually attracts a host of industry experts willing to discuss the future of a certain jurisdiction, which in this case happens to be Ireland.
Any and all developments regarding the gaming landscape in Ireland is usually talked about in an event like this and true to form, one of those experts who happened to be in attendance said that the country’s Gaming Control Bill, which has already been ridiculed in the past, is unlikely to be passed this year but more in the ballpark of 2015.
John Purcell, managing director of Purcell & Associates and a member of the Irish Responsible Gambling Board, told InterGameOnline that major questions still plague the country’s new gaming and betting bill and a reasonable expectation for legislators to discuss it probably won’t happen at least until the spring of 2015.
According to Purcell, the bill is still in the process of being (re)drafted but even if the (re)draft is completed in the next few months, the legislative calendar is already filled to the brim with other issues, making it next to impossible to slot this discussion within the year.
A more optimistic timeline could see a primary enabling legislation get published as early as the end of the year, but Purcell noted that such a scenario would only take place in the event of an impediment that causes a forced emergency legislation to be passed.
But the more realistic assessment on when the bill will finally get its legs is 2015, with implementation in the event it gets approved coming late next year or early 2016.
This bit of nugget may come as a disappointment for gaming firms in Ireland who are hoping to see the country’s laws on its industry be more up-to-the-times instead of the current yet antiquated gaming and betting laws that’s still being followed to this day. But patience is a virtue, right? Especially if it leads to seeing those long overdue reforms in the gaming industry whose country needs it badly.
