Online Poker Safe from Northern Ireland’s Gambling Reforms

Online Poker Safe from Northern Ireland’s Gambling Reforms

Tuesday, 15 January 2013

Online poker players in Northern Ireland looked to have escaped the latest government move against gambling.

Having been identified as an area of problem gambling with approximately 2% of the population known to have addiction problems, the country’s Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland has proposed an update of the law.


However, unlike many governments across Europe which seem to be grouping online poker gambling activities – such as Russia and Germany – Northern Ireland hasn’t directly referenced poker in any of its statutes.


Commenting on the situation, McCausland said: “It is necessary to update the current gambling laws in order to address the rapidly changing gambling environment that exists today; changes are also required to ensure that our law complies with relevant EU provisions.”


A public consultation regarding proposed changes was held in 2011 with Betfair, Ladbrokes and Paddy Power all expressing their views.


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Tags: Northern Ireland, regulation