Minister for Sports in Ireland comments on proposed betting levy
The public meeting regarding the levy was discussed by several Irish politicians, as well as its potential implications for domestic football.
Catherine Martine, Minister for Sport in Ireland, said during a public gallery debate that she would support a 3% increase in the betting levy in the country, should the additional funds be used to support domestic sports projects.
The levy was originally proposed by the Labour Party, with Teachta Dála (TD) Aodhán Ó Ríordáin leading several public meetings on the topic.
During the debate, Martin said: “But I would of course support any measures such as an increase in the betting levy, which could in turn feed to increase funding for sport more generally.”
The additional revenue from the levy would be ring-fenced to fund domestic facilities, predominantly resources for football teams.
Alongside this, the Labour Party is also calling for extra investment from the government into both international and grassroots football teams alike.
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) wants €517m ($569m), or 60% of the funding, to come directly from the Irish Government.
A further 20% of the funding is proposed to be covered by local authorities, with the final 20% coming from the association itself.
The motion also calls for gender equality issues to be addressed through funding, with clubs facing significant funding cuts if they did not achieve an almost equal gender balance on their boards.
Finally, the subject of the current government sports capital grant programme was addressed.
Chis Andrews, Sinn Féin TD, said: “Clubs need large savings to pay for projects upfront before they can draw down the grant.
“Others simply may not ever be able to draw down the particular grant as they don’t have the savings upfront.
“Equally, a large number of football clubs and other sports clubs generally don’t have their own grounds so can’t apply for a sports grant.
“Seventy-three per cent of Dublin’s football clubs don’t have their own facilities.”
This isn’t the only recent change to the Irish gambling industry, as GiG expanded its partnership with News UK for the region, earlier this year.
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