The gaming reform bill for Northern Ireland is now a law.

29 April 2022

The gaming reform bill for Northern Ireland is now a law.

Northern Ireland's Stormont region
A number of provisions of the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements Order 1985, which had previously governed gaming in Northern Ireland, are being amended by the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements Bill.

This bill is the starting point for a larger effort to reform gambling laws in Northern Ireland, with the ultimate goal of passing a law to regulate internet gambling there.

Betting shops are now allowed to open on Sundays and Good Fridays, thanks to the bill. Having said that, bookmakers are still required by law to close on Christmas Day.

Bookmakers' office hours were proposed to be relaxed in a survey that was initiated in September 2019. The proposal received 66% of the total responses. The majority also agreed that bookies should have Sunday hours.

Giving someone access to a gaming machine who is under the legal age of 18 is also considered a crime. The maximum sentence for this crime is six months in jail.

In addition to establishing a code of conduct for licensees, a required tax will be imposed on them.

Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey highlighted the bill's benefits to the broader community when it entered its final stage in March.

Today, the bill will finish its journey through the legislature, according to Hargey. The establishment of a new offence of inviting, inducing, or permitting a young person under the age of 18 to play a high stakes gaming machine will increase protection for children and young people.

A higher maximum ticket price and simplified regulations around the deduction of expenditures for societies' lotteries would allow local charities, sports clubs, and other volunteer groups to generate more funds for good causes, according to the law.

Although they voiced their support for the measure in February, the Communities Committee of Northern Ireland demanded the establishment of a formal gambling authority.