Flutter UK and Ireland (UKI) boss Kevin Harrington has said a “sensible regulatory environment” will be key to keeping the black market at bay in Ireland.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, Harrington, who became Flutter UKI CEO in January, said the country’s Gambling Regulation Act 2024 must be implemented effectively to support the licensed sector.
Ireland is set for a major upheaval to its gambling laws after the Act passed last year.
The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland has already been established as the regulator which will licence operators and oversee the market.
Licence applications are due to open in December, with permits set to last for three years.
Under the new framework, inducements are set to be banned, alongside some sponsorship restrictions.
Speaking on the need to prevent offshore operators from gaining a foothold in Ireland, Harrington said: “These operators operate borderlessly and are free of any regulatory obligations. They have no customer safety protection, and I think we really have to take action.
“Rather than shut our eyes, we have got to make sure we have a sensible regulatory environment, so that people who want to bet or play games online can do so with a regulated operator.”
He added that Flutter UKI is also taking safer gambling seriously in Ireland, with more than 35,000 automated messages sent to customers in the past 12 months.
Harrington noted: “We are doing this in the absence of regulation. No one is asking us to do this.
“We are doing this because we believe it is the right thing to do, and we are using the experience we have from a global business – from doing this all the way from Australia to America.”
The former PokerStars CEO also stated he hoped there would be a perception shift in Ireland around Flutter, which owns the Paddy Power brand that was founded in the country in 1988.
Paddy Power sits alongside tombola, Sky Betting & Gaming and Betfair in the Flutter UKI stable. Flutter also employs more than 1,500 staff out of its Dublin office.
Harrington concluded: “I would love perceptions to shift in terms of people, particularly in Ireland – being proud of this business, this Irish success story. This is something that started here and is now a global leader.
“I’d like to continue to lead the businesses into the future as we go into uncertain times in terms of changing technology, capabilities with AI and changing customer preferences. I think it is a very exciting era.”
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Kevin Harrington says consumers need to be directed towards licensed firms and away from offshore operators lacking customer protections
The post Flutter UKI CEO calls for “sensible” regulations in Ireland to fend off black market first appeared on EGR Intel.