A Dublin casino has shut its doors due to Ireland’s new gambling rules just as Northern Ireland puts its gambling rules up for public debate.

On Monday, the Fitzwilliam Casino & Card Club announced that it would be immediately closing its doors after 16 years of operation, throwing 78 local residents out of work. A spokesperson said the announcement was made with “great sadness and regret” and the private members Club would now be focusing on seeing its staff through this difficult transition.

The Club said the shutdown was due to the government’s recent approval of its Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Act, 2019. The Act, in addition to imposing new maximum stakes and payouts on gambling machines, also contains language that the Club claims has effectively made it impossible to continue operating.

The Act expands the definition of ‘unlawful gaming’ to include any activity lacking a ‘gaming permit’ or ‘gaming license.’ Trouble is, the ‘license’ limits operators to the aforementioned gambling machines while the ‘permit’ allows only gambling in which the player and the banker face equal odds.