Casino concerns

At this evenings GMD meeting I tabled a motion to rescind the resolution which adopted Part III of the Gaming and Lotteries Act, 1956, in respect of the administrative area of the entire Greystones MD. For a bit of context for this, in order for a gaming license to be issued by the District Court, a local authority has to have adopted Part 3 of this Act, and this fact is referenced on the gaming licence. In fact the District Court notifies the Local Authority when applications for gaming licenses are made to ensure that the Act hasn’t been rescinded.

I brought forward my motion following news that a gaming license was granted by the District Courts to a premises in Greystones allowing for 50 slot machines and opening hours from 10am to 2am.

This caused a huge amount of concern in the community and I have been innundated with people contacting me about this. The highly addictive nature of these types of casinos is well documented and there has been over whelming support from the public in trying to get this plan stopped. Local campaigners have collected over 2,600 signatures on a petition and there was a packed town meeting at St. Patrick's School, where every speaker spoke against the proposed casino. With an ever increasing population we have a need for many facilities here, community spaces, parks, youth centres. However a highly addictive casino is not one of them. This was clearly a moment to stand up and make a difference to protect our community and I was happy to support by tabling this motion.

During the discussion at this evening’s meeting I was surprised to be informed by the Council Executive that the resolution had already been rescinded in the late eighties. This information wasn’t given to Councillors before the meeting. Indeed I had specifically asked for confirmation that the resolution was adopted on several occasions and had been told by the Council that the process for applying for a Gaming Licence as set out in part III is being followed. However, although surprising, this new information is very welcomed as it means that the current gaming license issued by the District Court is not valid. As there has been so much conflicting information we still elected to vote on the motion which passed 4 in favour and 1 abstention. I will continue to follow up with the Council and District Court to ensure that all parties are aware that no gaming licenses can be lawfully issued within the Greystones District. This is a great result for the wider community and I thank all the campaigners who have helped along the way.”