G&L: Give us a bit of a background on your work in the global casino industry.
JJ: I have been in the casino gaming industry for 35 years after a career in banking that lasted 4 years. I trained in London and worked in many different countries, including Russia, Africa, Caribbean, South America and, of course, Ireland, where I am presently based. I was involved in the first casino to open in Moscow after Gorbachev and to this day I have believed the experience and the lessons learned there were invaluable going forward to other jurisdictions. I am presently consulting in Central America and Africa and, of course, Ireland, but generally have clients and contacts worldwide.
G&L: You’re presently focused on the gaming industry in Ireland. How does the casino industry in that country compare to others in Europe and around the world?
JJ: The main issue is that Ireland has not updated its gaming legislation since 1956! So, for all intents and purposes it is a grey area and the effect this has on the ground is that slot arcades are plentiful, as they are not staff exhaustive, but live game casinos leave a lot to be desired as the culture for this engagement is, in my opinion, still in it’s infancy. Owners / Operators are still shy to invest in this area, which basically means there are no palaces or the grandeur that you would associate with International casinos. The reason for this is because of the staff requirements needed to run a casino operation and the uncertainty of the promised legislation being rolled out.
G&L: What are the current trends in Irish gaming?
JJ: There are approximately 35 Casinos spread across the country, but most of these are Poker-driven and typical tables mix. In the majority of these clubs, which for lawful reasons are referred to as “Private Members Clubs,” there would be 5 x tables (2x Roulette, 3x Blackjack). Of course, there could be up to 6x Texas Hold’em poker tables included.
G&L: What type of impact has the casino industry had on Irish tourism?
JJ: The Irish Tourist board simply does not see any connection between casinos and tourism, as usually that connection is only made when casinos are situated in hotels. The truth is Ireland does not have any Hotels with a Casino facility. Whilst this will sound incredible to most people in the gaming industry, it does demonstrate how far behind Ireland is when it comes to Gaming. Most of the Casinos (Private Members Clubs) are standalone and are, by nature, small buildings. The irony is that Ireland has so much to offer should it update its gaming legislation. Horse racing, golf courses, etc. would make it a go-to destination if it could offer proper Casino facilities that stand up against other countries.
G&L: Has online gaming had an impact on casinos in Ireland?
JJ: The Gambling Amendment Act introduced by the government is only 6 months old so it is a bit early to calculate its effect, if any. However rather than introduce competitive taxing, the government went for the easy option of 15%, which seems to be the norm in Europe presently.
G&L: How successful have policies for Responsible Gaming been?
JJ: I would say nil. Whilst the issue is brought up at conferences, etc. and the government commissioned a study called “Playing Social Roulette” by University College Dublin, it seems to me that they are just going through the motions. The study itself is bereft of any know-how into how to extract information or trends into what is generally a secretive society of people who have been damaged by gambling. Ultimately, as part of the new gaming Legislation roll out, I expect that the cost for setting up help lines etc. will be borne by the operators themselves.
G&L: What do you expect from the industry in the next 5-10 years?
JJ: I think Ireland will eventually roll out new gaming legislation but like other countries they will get the first draft wrong and this will set back the industry for a 2- 3 year period. They have already introduced a run-of-the-mill tax on online gaming (15%) rather than a competitive one.
I cannot see Ireland embracing the Gaming Industry like, for example, Malta, Alderney, Isle of Man, etc. These countries have done it very well and their respective governments have reaped the rewards. Ireland could have become a Gaming Hub for Europe some years back had they had the will and, more importantly, the know-how. I believe they have dropped the ball on this one several times and the gaming world has moved on and, of course, become much more competitive.
They have also lost out on millions in revenue by delaying the whole issue. The most recent communication I had from the Minister Of Justice (Frances Fitzgerald) was on the 8th of December 2015 regarding the New Gaming Legislation:
“The Gambling Control Bill will, when enacted, update all existing laws on the regulation of gambling, including betting and gaming (but excluding the national Lottery). It will provide for the licensing of all forms of on-line gambling. The General Scheme of the Gambling Control Bill was published in July 2013. The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality provided its report on hearings in relation to the General Scheme in November 2013.
The Gambling Control Bill will confer responsibility for all regulatory matters on the Minister for Justice and Equality. The Minister’s functions will include licensing, inspections, and prosecutions, and it is envisaged that these functions will be carried out by a body located within my Department. The Scheme provides for a dedicated inspectorate to ensure compliance by license holders with the terms of their licenses and with the new legislation generally.
It is the intention to proceed with this legislation at the earliest feasible opportunity and I expect that substantial progress will be made on this in 2016.” Whilst the above sounds positive we should remember that an election is looming in Ireland and over the coming weeks the nation will go to the polls — I cannot imagine that the Gaming legislation is on top of the Government’s list of “Things to Do.”
G&L appreciates the time JJ has taken to provide this update on casino gaming in Ireland. To contact JJ Woods, please email him at jjsilks@eircom.net or visit www.atlanticcasinoconsultants.com.
Based in Bali, Bill Healey has been consulting, installing, and supporting solutions in the global golf and leisure industry since 1982. He has been involved with over 1,000 systems installations in 40+ countries from North America to Africa to Asia and Australia.