SINN Féin Councillor Aileen Mellon has welcomed plans by Minister Deirdre Hargey to deliver major reform of gambling laws.
It is the first shake up in gambling legislation in 35 years.
Under the proposals, legislation to allow bookmakers to open on Sundays and Good Friday will be among the changes and it will also become an offence to permit children to play gaming machines.
The legislation is expected to become before the Stormont Assembly in the coming weeks.
Said Cllr Mellon: “I welcome the announcement of Minister Deirdre Hargey’s plans to change the law to modernise gambling laws and protect people who gamble.
“This will update laws which are decades out of date and don’t reflect the change in technology.
“Gambling can be enjoyable, but we also need to make every effort to tackle problem gambling and keep people safe, particularly young people.
“This is a major step towards modernising gambling laws and making gambling safer.
“Across Ireland, Sinn Féin are committed to tackling problem gambling and bringing our laws into the 21st century.”
