SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The government of Ireland has confirmed the appointment of Anne Marie Caulfield as the first Chief Executive of The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland.
A senior civil servant, Caulfield has served as the Director of the Residential Tenancies Board, which oversees standards for Irish home rents and disputes between landlords, tenants and third parties.
Her appointment was settled following an ‘open competition’ run by the Public Appointments Service to find Ireland’s first gambling chief who will lead the formal integration of the Gambling Regulation Bill.
Yet to be finalised, the Gambling Regulation Bill outlines the requirement for Ireland to relaunch its gambling framework, overseen by an independent regulatory agency.
As stands, the Bill carries legislation to tackle problem gambling and new laws regulating online gambling services, agreed upon by Ireland’s three-party coalition government in 2020.
The Dáil is expected to approve the Gambling Regulation Bill this autumn, which requires outstanding legislation on gambling advertising rules and % mandatory contribution to the “social impact fund” on problem gambling harms.
In May, the government was presented a ‘legislative scrutiny’ by the joint-committee on Justice that recommended a tightening of the Bill’s legislation on gambling advertising.
Caulfield was branded a leading civil servant who has delivered and executed the government’s policy agenda, most recently leading the ‘Capability Review Programme’, which will provide the key provisions for Ireland’s 2030 Civil Service reform agenda.
The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland will be tasked with implementing and monitoring the laws of the Gambling Regulation Bill, to establish a federal gambling framework across Ireland’s four provinces.
The appointment of Caulfield was welcomed by Flutter Entertainment Plc, the operating company of Paddy Power, Ireland’s largest bookmaker.
UK & Ireland CEO, Conor Grant, stated: “As a long-standing advocate of evidence-based measures and a well-resourced regulator, Flutter welcomes the appointment of Anne Marie Caulfield as Chief Executive Designate of the Gambling Regulatory Authority.
“This represents clear progress towards the establishment of the Authority, which should have broad powers to respond to the dynamic and fast-paced nature of our industry.”
