News Release Page Title

21 February 2003

NEW LAW TO ALLOW ON-COURSE SUNDAY BETTING

Des Browne MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, today announced his intention to relax the betting law to allow on-course Sunday betting. The announcement is part of a modest package of changes that will bring the local betting and gaming law more closely into line with the rest of the UK.

Mr Browne, who has responsibility for Social Development, said: "I intend to bring forward legislation to provide a number of modest relaxations of the legislative controls on betting and gaming in Northern Ireland, including a change to allow on-course Sunday betting.

"Racing on Sunday is already allowed and I know race goers and other racing interests will welcome the opportunity of on-course Sunday betting.

"This is a limited relaxation of the law on Sunday betting and the current prohibition on Sunday betting in bookmaking offices will stay. When the law is changed, people will be able to choose whether or not they wish to go to a racetrack and bet on a Sunday.

"I very much hope the legislation needed to implement the changes will eventually take the form of a Bill the Assembly can vote on and that, in any event, there will be consultation with those interested when the draft legislation is published for comment."

The Minister also announced that important new legislation would be introduced to protect the rights of betting workers who do not want to work on Sundays.

"Jane Kennedy, the Minister with responsibility for Employment and Learning, will be providing betting workers who do not want to work on Sundays with important new protection rights which will apply irrespective of age, length of service or hours of work."

The Minister also confirmed that there will be some easement of the present restrictions on the operation of bookmaking offices, bookmaking on racetracks, retailing of football pools competitions, the operation of gaming machines, the notice and waiting periods for registration of clubs under the 1985 Order and the advertising of bingo.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The package of changes to the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (NI Order) 1985 will:

  1. allow on-course Sunday betting and provide employment protection rights for betting workers on tracks;

  2. provide for initial applications for the grant and provisional grant of bookmaking office licenses to be made to county courts, not magistrates’ courts as at present ;

  3. relax some of the existing restrictions on the operation of licensed bookmaking offices and allow the use of a maximum of two gaming machines, with all-cash prizes of up to £25;

  4. remove the obsolete net annual value test for bookmaking offices;

  5. allow bookmakers on tracks to take bets on any event, sporting or otherwise;

  6. amend the restriction on registered pools promoters carrying on their businesses by post to enable the Department to take account of modern methods of transfer of information;

  7. remove the restriction on the timing of association football matches (presently Saturday, Sunday or bank holidays) on which pools competitions may be retailed through premises;

  8. reduce the notice and waiting periods for clubs seeking registration under the 1985 Order for gaming machine purposes from two years to one year;

  9. remove all restrictions on the advertising of bingo;

  10. allow amusements with prizes gaming machines to be operated with all-cash prizes;

  11. allow the use of amusements with prizes gaming machines with all-cash prizes of up to £25 in amusement arcade-type premises subject to an age restriction of 18 on access to the premises or to designated areas within the premises;

  12. as a protection, require that gaming machines in licensed premises deliver prizes directly from the machine;

  13. allow gaming machines, with all-cash prizes of up to £25, to be used in licensed bingo clubs;

  14. allow the occupier of a licensed track to engage in bookmaking on that track but with the safeguard that he would not be allowed to offer odds bets on the outcome of races on that track;

  15. allow the use of permanent structures for bookmaking purposes on licensed tracks - to be used only when the public is admitted to the track for the purpose of attending horse or dog racing, and not to be used for bookmaking on races on that track;

  16. allow the occupier of a licensed track to enter into commercial agreements for the lease of betting outlets on that track.

    Click here to print this press release.