Ulster GAA Raises Concerns Over Impact of Upcoming Irish Gambling Regulations

In the Ulster GAA annual report, secretary Brian McAvoy explained that the GAA was not part of the exceptions to the legislation, which will restrict companies from advertising prize draws that exceed €10,000 between 5.30am and 9.00pm.

The GAA is a not-for-profit organisation, which is one of the reasons why they believe that they should be exempted from this ban. He noted that when people bought tickets for their draws, they were benefitting the community.

Ulster GAA wished to be included in the exemptions from the new guidelines but this request was rejected. GAA is also part of an ongoing partnership with gambling charity Gambling with Lives, supporting young people and raising awareness about problem gambling.

The Ulster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association is the governing body for Gaelic games in the region and promotes traditional Gaelic games including hurling, camogie, and more. It works across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The GAA requires donations and fundraising methods such as lotteries to try to make ends meet and continue to support these traditional Irish sports. There is now concern about the fact that this fundraising could become even more difficult.

There is a difficult balance to be struck here as the country looks to improve gambling regulation and curb some of the potential harmful gambling practices. The new gambling regulator, established under the Gambling Regulation Act, will oversee things like player protection as well as licensing, in a similar way to the Gambling Commission in the UK. Ireland is looking to modernise the way it manages the gambling industry and this also means that there will now be stricter controls on gambling advertising.

Ulster GAA will still be hoping that they can change the decision before the new rules come into effect later in 2025.