26 December 2003
BETTING AND GAMING ORDER TO BE LAID BEFORE PARLIAMENT
New legislation that will permit on-course Sunday betting in Northern Ireland will be laid before Parliament at Westminster early in the New Year, John Spellar, MP, the Minister with responsibility for Social Development, announced today.
The draft Betting and Gaming (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 also includes other changes to bring the local betting and gaming law more closely into line with the rest of the UK. The Minister said: "The proposed Order will provide a number of modest relaxations of 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 from the recent consultation on the draft Order that 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 remain. 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.
"Jane Kennedy, MP, the Minister with responsibility for Employment and Learning, is also providing in the draft Order important new protection rights for track betting workers who do not wish to work on Sundays which will apply irrespective of age, length of service or hours of work."
The Minister also confirmed that the draft Order will ease some of the present restrictions on the operation of bookmaking offices, betting on racetracks, retailing of football pools competitions, the operation of gaming machines, the notice and waiting periods for registration of clubs for gaming machine purposes and the advertising of bingo.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- Following laying at Westminster, Copies of the draft Order and its Explanatory Memorandum will be available for purchase from the
TSO Bookshop
16 Arthur Street
Belfast
BT1 4GD.It is also available on the Department’s web site at www.dsdni.gov.uk
- The draft Order will amend the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (NI) Order 1985.
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