Ireland is a very lucrative gambling market and like other gambling jurisdictions across the globe, it also must deal with a lot of issues. Thankfully, the country is always taking steps towards ensuring that the sector is safe for users. The most recent development in this regard is a set of massive changes brought in through the new ‘Code of Practice on Safer Gambling’.
Established by the Irish Bookmakers Association (IBA), the new code outlines several industry commitments. These mostly relate to player protection measures. The code is now a minimum set of requirements that the members of the Irish gambling sector will be subject to. IBA members like Flutter Entertainment, Entain, and Boylesports have already backed it. Other operators in the market have also committed to going above and beyond to follow the new provisions.
The Credit Card Ban
As part of the new provisions, credits cards will no longer be accepted payment methods. Both online and retail bookmakers in the country will no longer allow their customers to use the form of payment. This change is already in place at several betting facilities which shows just how serious they are about ensuring consumer protection.
It will, of course, take some time before everyone gets fully on board. However, with everything already on course towards achieving a common goal, it should not take too long. The gambling operators that have not made the switch will just need to implement some related technological changes. They, however, must do this before the end of the year.
The Ad Ban
Also part of the new code of practice is a whistle-to-whistle advertising ban. The goal of this ban is to restrict gambling ads shown around live sports before 9.00 pm. They will only be allowed to run 5 minutes and 5 minutes each of the events. This will, however, not apply to greyhound racing and horse racing.
Speaking on the new changes, IBA chairperson Sharon Byrne noted that while the new code is not the answer to problem gambling, it creates a foundation for even better measures in the future.
“We recognize that there is a need for the industry to continue to develop the highest of standards for safer gambling. We believe in particular, that the credit card ban and the whistle-to-whistle advertising restrictions are significant steps on that path,” Sharon Byrne commented.
All this further makes Ireland a great place to benchmark for countries that are looking to clean up their gambling industries.
