Politicians have been lobbied dozens of times this year over long-awaited gambling legislation, which is expected to pass through all stages of the Oireachtas [parliament] in the coming months.
Analysis of the Lobbying Register shows more than 60 entries so far this year connected to the Gambling Regulation Bill, with around half of these being direct lobbying of James Browne, the minister of state spearheading the legislation.
It comes after new ESRI research published last week suggested that rates of problem gambling in Ireland are about 10 times higher than previously thought, leading to the issue being described as a “public health emergency”.
