Northern Ireland is expected to undergo significant changes to its gambling laws as the Northern Irish government decides that online gambling has completely changed the landscape of the gambling industry and laws must be updated to coincide with technology.

As it stands, the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements Order, which was enacted in 1985, is the law which regulates gambling in Northern Ireland. However, Deirdre Hargey, the Communities Minister, has stated that new legislation will be introduced before 2021 comes to an end, but an update dealing with online gambling will follow in the longer term.

“Gambling regulation here has not kept pace with industry and technological changes,” Hargey said.

“In my view change is long overdue.”

Although all of the aspects to the upcoming legislation have not yet been specified, we can expect to see a “mandatory code of practice” which will allow operators to hold government issued gambling licenses and ensure that gambling contracts will be enforceable by the law.

Further changes have been proposed which include making it an illegal offence to attempt to cheat and imposing a statutory levy on gambling operators online and offline. In a somewhat surprise move, legislation is also expected to allow bookmakers to open on Sundays and Good Friday too. Of course, online bookmakers and casinos are open 24/7, regardless.

The expected changes to gambling in Northern Ireland coincides with a shakeup in gambling legislation in the United Kingdom. Politicians in Northern Ireland spoke to and sought guidance from their colleagues in Westminster as the inquiry progressed.

Although the initial legislation will be introduced shortly, a second update will follow which will include a “completely new regulatory framework”. This new framework will encompass online gambling which the Northern Irish public and government regard as an industry which needs further regulation to protect players.

Restructuring Laws Surrounding Online Gambling

As aforementioned, it is not only the Northern Irish government which is looking to update laws surrounding online gambling. The Westminster government has been looking into ways to restructure the 2005 Gambling Act since the end of 2020, with changes expected to be announced imminently.

The USA is also opening up itself to new online gambling laws. Individual states have been granted the go-ahead to legalise sports and casino betting if they wish to do so. New online slot sites, casinos and sportsbooks are launched on a daily basis. Smart phones have significantly increased the number of people participating in gambling online and this is thought to be the main reason why laws need to be updated, not only in Northern Ireland but across countries worldwide.