SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Following approval by the Legislative Assembly, Northern Ireland will align its rules on gambling machine staking and prizes with those of Great Britain.
Yesterday, the NI Assembly approved a motion by Communities Minister Gordon Lyons to increase the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals to £2 and limit prizes to £500.
Lyons (DUP) defended the changes, stating that aligning with Great Britain would modernise gambling laws in Northern Ireland and introduce greater consistency across the UK.
The Minister argued that updating regulations would allow for better industry oversight, ensuring that gambling remains fair and transparent. The DUP claims that the reforms could help address problem gambling by bringing greater clarity to regulations, reducing unregulated gambling, and improving industry accountability.
The Minister acknowledged concerns about problem gambling but stressed that progress had been made since the Assembly first debated the reforms.
A land-based gambling levy for Northern Ireland is being considered as part of future gambling reforms. However, Lyons confirmed that there are no immediate plans for its introduction.
Lyons’ motion was approved without a formal vote, as the Legislative Assembly has yet to confirm whether it will begin its review of the 57 recommendations put forward by Stormont’s All-Party Group (APG) to modernise NI’s gambling laws and protections.
The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) party has strongly opposed the reforms, questioning why protections introduced in Great Britain are not also being extended to Northern Ireland.
TUV MLA Timothy Gaston highlighted that problem gambling rates in Northern Ireland were five times higher than in England, according to the last available research. He expressed concern that while NI was adopting higher stakes and prizes, it would not benefit from key safeguards such as the Gambling Levy in Great Britain.
The Gambling Levy, set to take effect in April 2025 in GB, will collect between £90 million and £100 million per year from the gambling industry to fund addiction support services and public health initiatives. However, NI will not benefit from this funding, as the levy does not apply there.
Timothy Gaston criticised the move, arguing that allowing “higher spending and winnings without appropriate protections was reckless.” He warned that “some gambling limits would rise over sixfold, while maximum winnings would increase twentyfold.”
Gaston called for a delay in implementing the changes until a comprehensive NI Gambling Levy is introduced. He argued that proceeding without these protections would be “grossly irresponsible.”
At the close of 2024, Sinn Féin Chairman Philip McGuigan and Deputy Robbie Butler urged the Assembly to allow DCMS advertising codes to be applied in the NI legal system.
Sinn Féin’s Chairman cited that Northern Ireland had become an outlier in gambling regulations within Great Britain, as its law courts continue to reference the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries & Amusements Order of 1985.
