Ireland To Tax eGaming Operators
17th May, 2010
Ireland have confirmed that they will tax online betting and introduce licenses for overseas operators due to their need to secure financing for the racing industry according to an article on eGaming Review.
The Irish head of Government (Taoiseach) Brian Cowen said that overseas operators must attain a license in order to offer their products to the Irish market.
“This will have the additional benefit of facilitating the extension of the tax regime for the betting industry to all those providing online and telephone betting and so underpin funding for the racing industry,” Cowen was reported as saying by broadcaster RTE Business.
However, Paddy Power’s CEO Patrick Kennedy has argued consistently that safeguarding the future of the Irish racing industry can’t be done with taxation and licensing all operators that are active in the country and by banning those without advertising permits.
He believes that such a ban will be doomed to failure as most operators do their marketing and acquisitions online such as in the case of Australia.
“Australians now spend more per head on poker than in the UK, where it is legal,” he told the paper in February. Since then Australia's advisory body has recommended repealing the laws.
By Tom
