The Minister for Communities in Northern Ireland, Gordon Lyons, has ruled out the possibility for a massive overhaul of the current gambling legislation.
Speaking during an Assembly, the Minister stated that it is not possible to introduce a comprehensive Bill in the current mandate, due to the complexity of the industry, specifically the pace of technological change in online gambling.
Although Lyons is passing the responsibility onto the next mandate, he has instructed his officials to continues gathering evidence on the statutory protections that are already in place.
In fact, a review of Northern Ireland's Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements Act of 2022 is expected to take place this year and will determine whether the 2022 amendments are ensuring the best player protections, thereby informing future gambling legislation.
When asked whether his department's commitment would leave the next Minister with sufficiently developed policies, Lyons emphasised how their work will "probably lead to one of the largest pieces of legislation, if not the largest, that will ever take through the House."
The current mandate is actively comparing Northern Ireland's regime with frameworks in other parts of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
The decision may disappoint the industry stakeholders who had hoped for a more comprehensive overhaul of Northern Ireland's gambling laws.
In August, the Northern Ireland Gambling Support Group (GSG) launched a confidential SMS support service aimed at helping football players and staff affected by gambling related harm.
The initiative provided a discreet way for people to seek professional support and operated as a one-season pilot across the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFIL) grounds.
Northern Ireland's gambling regime is primarily based on the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements Order of 1985, with amendments made by the 2022 Act
