As the Department of Justice in Ireland works toward implementing the new Gambling Regulation Act, junior justice minister James Browne TD has announced that a chief executive for the Gambling Regulatory Authority is being sought to oversee the operations and execute responsibilities as an independent regulator answering directly to the Department of Justice. Minister Browne said in a statement that regulators will, “regulate gambling, gaming, and lottery services by both the commercial and non-commercial providers of such services, including their advertising, in order to achieve a high degree of compliance with the act“. According to a report in the Irish Examiner, Browne has stated the Gambling Authority could have a staff of up to 100 and would eventually be self-supporting through the industry but would initially be backed by €8m to €12m from the government during the first few years of oversight and enforcement operations. Moreover, the gambling regulator will have powers to interrupt any operator deemed to be supporting any sort of crime including money laundering as well as enforcement authority advertising including sponsorships as well as licensing itself.

He also stated, “The gambling regulator will have the powers to hold the gambling industry responsible for their actions,” he said. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform sanctioned the recruitment of the CEO Designate of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland last October.