Brian Kavanagh – HRI – No delay for the implementation of Irish betting bill

Chief Executive of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI)  Brian Kavanagh has stated that there will be no delay to the implementation of Ireland’s new betting tax framework, which mirrors closely the UK’s POC system introduced last December.

Kavanagh backed his statement, despite the UK POC being referred to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) by the Gibraltar Betting & Gaming Association (GBGA). The UK POC is being contested on grounds that the tax raises discriminates against non-UK businesses that operate within EU competition regulations, by restricting the movement of services

Speaking on behalf of HRI, Kavanagh noted that Irish stakeholders were aware of the charges made against the UK POC, and that the body would pay close attention to any developments.

However the HRI Chief Executive stated that UK POC regulatory issues, should not delay the introduction of Ireland’s new Betting Bill, which has seen numerous delays in its progress. Kavanagh is further confident of its implementation, having seen it pass EU scrutiny regarding its proposed framework.

“It has been through the European validation process. Now whether this case in Britain is a technicality whereby the validation process can be tested in court, I don’t know.

“But the system has been operating in Britain since December and the Irish system will come in in a few weeks time so there will be no hold up in that respect. I think it is a case of watching what is going on. Both pieces of legislation, in both jurisdictions, had to be run by the EU before being introduced so they’ve been through that process,” Kavanagh  commented