Irish casino news and threats to our betting shops

It’s time to take another look at the latest Irish casino news, although on this occasion we are going to focus on a political argument that will affect almost all the big online casino and online gambling companies. Currently confined to debates in the UK parliament but likely to be taken up elsewhere, there is an increasing sentiment for legislation against fixed odds terminals in our high street betting shops, with extreme claims being made of the opportunity to lose as much as £20,000 in just one hour. Our primary concern at onlinecasino.ie is of course the health of the online casinos and the casino games they offer, but we also recognise that many of the online casino operators also have a big high street presence and rely on these machines for a substantial part of their income. The importance of fixed odds terminals in betting shops to the major bookmakers is amply illustrated by the reaction of stock exchange investors to the recent political debates, with significant falls in the share price of both Ladbrokes and William Hill over recent days. Since the advent of online casinos and the growth of online gambling in general the high street betting shop has come under considerable pressure in much the same way that some high street retailers have suffered, and many would argue that it is only the availability of casino games machines such as those now being lambasted which has kept the betting shops afloat. It is not for us to comment on the validity of some of the more extreme arguments against these machines, but we do believe that the betting shop remains an important asset for those of us who enjoy gambling, particularly for those people who are not able to play casino games online or indeed follow their favourite sports online. There are also a large number of jobs at stake, so we hope any political decisions will be tempered by common sense and not extreme propaganda.