SDLP Communities Spokesperson Mark H Durkan has welcomed the passage of the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements Bill at final stage in the Assembly.
The legislation will see an increase in opening hours for betting shops and creates a new offence of inviting, causing or permitting a young person under 18 years to play a high stakes gaming machine.
However, Mr Durkan lamented the failure to implement tangible protections for the 40,000 at risk gamblers across the North.
Said the Foyle MLA: “I welcome the passage of this long overdue update of gambling legislation in Northern Ireland.
“The failure to advance meaningful protections for people suffering from gambling addiction, the consequences of which devastates lives, is unacceptable.
“In the four decades since gambling legislation here was reviewed, the industry’s landscape has transformed beyond recognition.
“While I welcome the modernisation within this work, for example the extension of opening hours, it aims for the low hanging fruit.
“I’m disappointed at the lack of ambition within this bill, particularly around a robust regulatory framework, implementing an all-island gambling strategy and I regret that my attempts to secure a meaningful mandatory levy were not fruitful.
“I appreciate that Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey acknowledges this legislation as a ‘first step’ in bringing necessary reforms to the gambling industry.
“However, I’d argue that after 40 years, people at risk of gambling related harm deserve much more than a first step. If something is worth doing, then it’s worth doing right.
“This legislation is a missed opportunity to implement real, worthwhile provisions to help 40,000 people here experiencing problem gambling and their families.
“Questions around regulating online gambling remain as do many other loose ends in need of tying up.
“I hope a robust regulation framework will be tackled within in the next phase to protect individuals and their families from the life-shattering scourge of gambling addiction.”
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