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Government won't exempt horse-racing TV channels from ban on daytime gambling ads

Law regulating the gambling industry is a public health measure, says minister.

GOVERNMENT WILL NOT provide an exemption to horse-racing TV channels when a ban on daytime gambling ads on television is introduced. 

The Gambling Regulation Bill, which was approved by Cabinet last year, will see stricter regulation of gambling advertising, with a watershed prohibiting gambling advertising – including online ads – between 5:30am and 9:00pm.

As first reported by the Sunday Independent today, in a letter to the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party, Minister of State for the Department of Justice James Browne sets out how he met with representatives of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and the Association of Irish Racecourses (AIR) this week.

The representatives raised concerns with the minister about the proposed legislation, he said. 

“HRI advised me and my officials this week that it had entered into a commercial agreement in May 2023 regarding the sale of exclusive TV rights to Irish Racing between 2024 and 2028 inclusive.

“This was after the adoption by the Government of the cross-party Justice Committee recommendation of a watershed advertising ban and after the Dáil had unanimously approved the Bill at Second Stage,” he states in the letter. 

Browne sets out that HRI representatives sought to understand at the meeting this week if an exemption from the gambling advertising ban could be advanced for two dedicated racing channels, “as this would be more commercially advantageous to HRI”, said the minister.

“This proposal would in effect give a monopoly on gambling advertising in the State to these two channels.

“This proposal clearly gives rise to a number of issues. Firstly, it breaches the principle of the gambling advertising ban. It is completely at odds with the stated will of the cross-party Oireachtas Committee on Justice, and the Government.

“Secondly, such an exemption for the horse racing industry would also be anti-competitive under current legislation covering broadcasting companies and also discriminate against other sports. This would not be legally sustainable,” Browne said.

‘Extremely dangerous’

The minister states that gambling “is not a harmless activity”, adding that problem gambling “is extremely dangerous”.

He said he has been urged from many to go further in terms of tough regulations on the industry, however Brown said he believes the watershed advertising ban “is the most appropriate position at present”.

The technical amendments for the legislation will be brought forward by the minister at Report State soon, said the minister. 

He noted in the correspondence that the presence of trackside betting, the use of trackside gambling advertising, the sponsorship of jockey’s colours and races will all still be permissible after this Bill is enacted.

“In short, there is no legal impediment arising from the gambling legislation that in any way inhibits the showing of horse racing as is currently broadcast,” he added. 

Browne concluded by saying that he is very concerned about intense gambling advertising, stating that he doesn’t believe the increased association of gambling and sport is healthy for our society.

He said the regulation of the gambling industry has been talked about for years, with little action. He said it is imperative that Fianna Fáil delivers on this promise, stating that progressing this legislation is at its core a “public health measure”.

The minister’s comments come in the same week that a report about children gambling in Ireland, which was published by the Institute of Public Health, showed that one-in- four and one-in-five (22.9%) 16-year-olds in Ireland reported gambling for money in the last 12 months.

Betting on sports or animals was the most common form of gambling among 16 year olds and this with a significant proportion doing so online.

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34 Comments
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    Mute Eric Cosgrove
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    Dec 16th 2011, 2:36 PM

    These people have some F#%$^ing Neck

    139
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    Mute Jay funk
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    Dec 16th 2011, 5:57 PM

    The need a big neck to hang the gold chains off, just like B.A.

    25
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    Mute Kathleen O Toole Tighe
    Favourite Kathleen O Toole Tighe
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    Dec 16th 2011, 3:03 PM

    Couldn’t be happier for her
    Did she really think the judge would believe her when she said she hadn’t a clue ,
    About time she got her comeuppance !

    117
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    Mute Declan Carroll
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    Dec 16th 2011, 6:00 PM

    They have necks like a jockey’s b*llix -

    32
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    Mute Gary Keegan
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    Dec 16th 2011, 2:54 PM

    Not according to the dumb fooks in Cavan who are still defending what this man has done. The poor Quinn’s railroaded by the government and NAMA.

    115
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    Mute Spillinksuz
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    Dec 16th 2011, 2:36 PM

    I’d say some how Mrs Quinn will just fine

    111
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    Mute Réada Quinn
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    Dec 16th 2011, 3:18 PM

    Delighted! Silly woman using the “stupid woman card”. Won’t wash anymore. Ireland’s waking from our slumber. All of us !!!

    97
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    Mute Rommel Burke
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    Dec 16th 2011, 3:07 PM

    Damn. I was hoping to use the old “I’m thick as sh**e, and the wife put fierce pressure on me to get a mortgage” line myself.
    Ah well, suppose i’ll have to try and pay it back now like the Quinns no doubt will……………..

    94
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    Mute Cormac Flanagan
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    Dec 16th 2011, 4:34 PM

    Ya was hoping to use it myself to get out of the mortgage. She’s ruined it for all of us.

    51
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    Mute Glyn Carragher
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    Dec 16th 2011, 10:10 PM

    No Ive just checked and it appears that Mrs Quinn did in fact sign as a guarantor for my loan to buy Italy … whaooo!

    11
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    Mute Bazza
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    Dec 16th 2011, 3:55 PM

    I have been unemployed for almost a year.

    I got a ‘dear john’ today on a role I put a lot of time and work into getting.

    I am feeling low today and a bit emotional.

    Im not normally into Schadenfreude, but I cannot tell you have much this has lifted my spirits

    90
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    Mute William O'Shea
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    Dec 16th 2011, 6:59 PM

    Hope things pick up for ya……….. Truth is this judgement probably wiped the schadenfreude smile from Her mush!

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    Mute Shane Brehony
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    Dec 17th 2011, 12:35 PM

    What kind of a donkey can put thumbs down to comments like this .

    2
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    Mute ged_star
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    Dec 16th 2011, 3:20 PM

    Great news, now all we have to do is nail all the other f**kers that ruined the country, including politicians.

    88
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    Mute Jammy Mason
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    Dec 16th 2011, 4:29 PM

    That would make it a very happy Christmas for all of us :-)

    41
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    Mute Tony Stanley
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    Dec 16th 2011, 2:52 PM

    Delighted for her! So much for that additional ivory back scratcher!

    87
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    Mute John Murray
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    Dec 16th 2011, 4:12 PM

    She won’t pay a penny!! But the 67 year old lady after her in court would get 14 days in mountjoy for not having a tv license!!

    79
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    Mute jason bourne
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    Dec 16th 2011, 4:49 PM

    No She will not… Stop this myth of people getting Mountjoy over tv licences

    29
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    Mute Noddy Mooney
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    Dec 16th 2011, 6:09 PM

    Don’t pay the lesser fee of 100 euro household tax and you’ll get prison.

    31
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    Mute Manfred Meyer
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    Dec 16th 2011, 3:21 PM

    The mind boggles.
    Was Sean Quinn married to a bimbo?
    I very much doubt that.

    64
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    Mute Rodger O Waters
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    Dec 16th 2011, 3:40 PM

    He wishes,

    42
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    Mute Ed Appleby
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    Dec 16th 2011, 4:21 PM

    Pleading ignorance is no defence for Mrs Quinn, she was more than happy to live well off the proceeds of her husbands ‘undue earnings’. The woman’s whinging is enough to make you puke given the amount of money, property and other valuables this particular family have in their possession and that’s only the wealth we actually know about, you can be sure there are plenty of hidden assets and offshore accounts squirrelled away out of the reach of any Irish banks or govt. agencies How many Quinn assets are in the names of his children, grandchildren etc? This Quinn woman won’t be worrying about where her christmas dinner is coming from this year unlike many others in Ireland whose husbands didn’t gamble on casino banks and take punts on developments that turned into turkeys!

    54
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    Mute Adam Magari
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    Dec 16th 2011, 3:23 PM

    Some would say that undue influence has been the root of the country’s problems for many years.

    48
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    Mute Stephen Pluck
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    Dec 16th 2011, 4:34 PM

    No business knowledge but a director of over 90 companies…. Pull the other one there love

    47
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    Mute Anthony Harland
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    Dec 16th 2011, 5:15 PM

    Director of 63 Irish companies, 28 UK companies and a company secretary in 10 but God bless her she still doesn’t even have a basic knowledge of business matters. Ah bless, is there some charity I can donate to so that she can get a bit of an education. Such a sad story and so close to Christmas too….some neck on her!

    44
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    Mute Kerry Blake
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    Dec 16th 2011, 3:10 PM

    Happy days :-)

    44
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    Mute Kevin McCarthy
    Favourite Kevin McCarthy
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    Dec 16th 2011, 4:43 PM

    She could maybe now do a bit of stand up comedy. Great material there. Then maybe a tour and a Fringe festival slot.

    33
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    Mute Cormac Flanagan
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    Dec 16th 2011, 5:06 PM

    She does need the money

    19
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    Mute Ryan Murphy
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    Dec 16th 2011, 5:31 PM

    Any of Seanie (why are they all called Sean?) Quinn’s valiant defenders about, now that he has taken to hiding behind his wife?

    32
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    Mute Siobhan Ni Fhaolain
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    Dec 16th 2011, 4:22 PM

    Nice try! Close…. But no cigar!!!

    19
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    Mute Dee Ferry Kennedy
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    Dec 16th 2011, 8:37 PM

    Merry Christmas now let’s get the rest of the bastards starting at the top

    17
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    Mute michael cuthbert
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    Dec 16th 2011, 6:48 PM

    Interesting. Is this the first court case where one of the super-rich has been found against? A woman (silly trying to play the blond defence), not directly involved in amassing a fortune. Misogyny?

    15
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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Dec 16th 2011, 6:59 PM

    Are you excluding her super-rich husband who was the subject of a €1.6bn order against the same bank only a few weeks ago?

    12
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    Mute William O'Shea
    Favourite William O'Shea
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    Dec 16th 2011, 7:21 PM

    I concur one hundred percent with this judgement…….. but I suspect for a female in a patriarchal FF home only one opinion prevails……….

    11
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    Mute Frank Buffets
    Favourite Frank Buffets
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    Dec 16th 2011, 7:10 PM

    First we had declaring bankrupt in northern Ireland and now this. One can only imagine Sean Quinn frantically transferring all the family assets further down the chain of family members. Ah bless, at least the solicitors will get a nice Christmas bonus.

    10
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    Mute Graham Gallagher
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    Dec 16th 2011, 10:54 PM

    Neck like a jockeys on mrs quinn!

    7
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    Mute Titus d
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    Dec 17th 2011, 2:09 AM

    Mrs Quinn will need to start a few house cleaning jobs to pay it back

    6
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    Mute Frank2521
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    Dec 16th 2011, 10:54 PM

    Call Bertie for a dig out – he is doing well now on the horses I hear.

    4
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    Mute Paraic Conlon
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    Dec 17th 2011, 3:35 AM

    Good bless her , ” I didnt know wat I was signing” 3 million are you fuc@ing serious, wat bout my mortgage, if I told the judge I didn’t know wat I was signing at the time wat would he say, he would say tough shite keep paying

    3
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    Mute Rommel Burke
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    Dec 17th 2011, 10:19 AM

    Or probably find us in contempt of court! My 9 year old comes up with more believable excuses ffs!

    3
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