So the Government's forthcoming gambling bill is good news for would-be casino operators?Only if they intend to operate at a "modest" level. Anyone who wanted to establish a so-called resort-style casino was left disappointed this week. That might include Richard Quirke, the Tipperary-born businessman whose proposed €460-million, 300-hectare Tipperary Venue had a 500-bedroom hotel and casino at its heart. Backed politically by local Independent TD Michael Lowry, the Tipperary Venue's future looks precarious after Minister for Justice Alan Shatter and the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, revealed the project got the thumbs-down from the Cabinet.
Precarious? Surely it's finishedLowry has said the casino is "only one element" of the Tipperary Venue project. Also in Quirke's vision are all-weather and turf horseracing tracks, a greyhound track, a golf course and a replica of the White House that would be a conference centre. These were all given planning permission; a 15,000-capacity indoor entertainment venue was not. Lowry admitted he was "disappointed" by the decision, and some observers have suggested that the hotel and casino would have been the project's money-spinners.
What will the new legislation allow?Shatter said statutory provision will permit "modest-sized" casinos. Rumblings from the Government suggested venues with a limit of about 40 tables – quite a distance from the 2,000-table casino dreamed of by Quirke and his supporters. Anyone looking for a casino licence will be subjected to "deep and extensive checks," the Minister warned.
What's so bad about large casinos?There were objections to the Tipperary Venue at the planning stage from An Taisce, which said that, as well as generating traffic and pollution in what is currently a green area in the heart of Tipperary, the project lacked viability as a commercial entity. The Government seems to agree, with Shatter saying it "could not ignore" widespread concerns about viability. It is also worried about "disproportionate resources" being spent on supervising a large casino as well as the possible social impact generated by large-scale gambling and the risk of its attracting "other activities that are not desirable".
How does the industry feel about it?The Gaming and Leisure Association of Ireland has welcomed the Government's decision. As operators of private members' gaming clubs, they stand to benefit from proper regulation of their "modest-sized" outlets.
Bookmakers have been relatively quiet on the proposals despite the fact that the Government will not be allowing fixed-odds betting terminals, regarded by some bookies as a cash cow but by opponents as a drain on the resources of vulnerable clients.
A wait-and-see approach is being adopted to the Government’s intention to deal with online and remote gambling, currently unregulated and untaxed.
What now for the Tipperary Venue and its casino?Quirke said he intends engaging with the Department of Justice to establish just what will be allowed, casinowise, but sceptics are less convinced than ever that a roulette table will ever be seen anywhere near Two-Mile-Borris.
