Ireland To Copy UK Sports Betting Laws

The Irish government is set to introduce a series of revised gambling laws that will
follow in the footsteps of the United Kingdom. These new gambling laws will help
generate additional revenue for the Horse & Greyhound racing industry in Ireland.

All betting shops in Ireland are subject to a 1% tax rate which applies to
online sports betting sites as well. This rate will be raised to 1.5%,
a move that should generate an extra €90 million in taxes per year. By
increasing the tax rate for offshore sports betting sites, it should help
the Irish-based betting shops compete and continue to service bettors.

Mary Upton, a Labour spokesperson, commented recently that: “Online
operators who are not based in Ireland but who are providing a service to
Irish customers and who refuse to register and pay the betting levy will be
blocked by Irish internet service providers, upon the direction of the Government.”

Ireland is another country in a growing list of countries that are attempting
to censor unlicensed gambling operators by preventing their citizens from
accessing the gambling sites from ISPs that are based in Ireland. This is a
growing trend among western countries and it should be an alarming development
to citizens that value their freedom and an Internet without censorship.