Northern Ireland’s gambling options appear in for major expansion following the publication of a public consultation that found major fault with the status quo.

This week, Northern Ireland’s Department for Communities (DfC) released the results of the public consultation it launched last December to gauge the public’s attitudes towards the current gambling regime. The results, highlights of which were previewed in September, show broad support for loosening the current limits while ensuring adequate consumer protections.  

The survey was conducted online and attracted only 382 responses from a mix of individuals and organizations, so it could be a stretch to say that the results are truly representative of the population as a whole.

Nevertheless, after being briefed on the findings, the NI Assembly’s Committee for Communities wrote to the Minister for Communities saying it “favors new NI specific gambling legislation.” Ideally, this would include authorizing land-based casinos, online gambling, poker in clubs and the creation of a “wholly independent regulatory body for gambling here.”