Ireland raises the minimum age for gambling to 18

On Tuesday, the Irish government has approved a legislation that will change the age limit for gambling to 18 years old, under the new ‘Courts and Civil Liabilities Bill’ (Miscellaneous Provisions), paving the way for the modernization of the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956 as per The Journal Ireland.

The Courts and Civil Liberties (Miscellaneous Provisions) bill was successfully passed yesterday afternoon, by several ministers from the Irish Cabinet. The now law will be put into action when it will be fully published in the upcoming weeks.

According to the new regulation, users are not allowed to purchase a lottery ticket or place a bet in case they are not 18 years old. Currently, the Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1956 allows 16-year-old citizens to enter gaming venues or amusement halls in which there may be slot machines and sports betting events.

Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar said: “This is an important issue. It is also important the Government puts in place a proper regulatory structure around gambling, both to regulate an industry from which many people get much pleasure but also one which gives rise to people becoming addicted, impoverished and unwell as a consequence. Legislation in this area is long overdue,”.