Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality with responsibility for Law Reform, James Browne TD, has welcomed the announcement that applications for the role of Chief Executive Officer to establish and lead the new Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland are now open.
The Authority is to be established under the new Gambling Regulation Act and will operate as an independent regulator under the policy aegis of the Department of Justice. The Authority will regulate gambling, gaming and lottery services by both the commercial and non-commercial providers of such services, including their advertising, in order to achieve a high degree of compliance with the Act.
Minister Browne commented, “The Gambling Regulator will have the powers to hold the gambling industry responsible for their actions. The Authority will have the necessary enforcement powers for licensing and to enable it to take appropriate and focused action where providers are failing to comply with the provisions of this legislation.
“He or she will effectively be a CEO with a staff of up to 100 employees — a range of experts who will be public servants rather than civil servants. I look forward to the appointment of the Regulator in the coming months.”
The authority will have a very significant role in a range of areas including: setting the terms of licences; regulating the fees to be paid by licence holders; inspecting for compliance; investigating breaches of licences and regulations; imposing significant administrative sanctions; instigating criminal prosecutions; administering a Social Impact Fund; and promoting public awareness of gambling regulation.