The 51-page report, titled an “Economic Assessment of a Regulated Casino Gambling Sector” and published yesterday, concludes that regulation of land-based and online casino operations could potentially create in the region of 13,000 new jobs and deliver annual returns to the Irish Exchequer of €280m by 2020, provided the appropriate regulatory and fiscal structures are put in place.

The study, by Dublin-based DKM Economic Consultants, was commissioned by the Gaming & Leisure Association of Ireland (GLAI) and sponsored by A&L Goodbody Solicitors and Mazars Accountants.

The findings of the new report come after the publication in July of a study by a government-appointed casino committee which also backed sweeping reforms, recommending the licensing of casinos, the removal of local authority regulatory powers over amusement arcades and the exclusion of fixed-odds betting terminals from betting shops.

The author of the DKM economic impact assessment, John Lawlor, noted: “Currently the Irish land-based casino sector is of modest size, representing approximately 1.5 percent of total gambling GGR and employing in the region of 500 people. Our assessment of the sector internationally indicates that there is scope for this to increase significantly in a properly-regulated environment.”

The Gaming and Leisure Association of Ireland says it believes independent regulation of land-based casinos , which currently operate as private clubs, could lead to the creation of around 3,000 jobs and generate €50m in revenue for the Exchequer.

David Hickson of the Gaming & Leisure Association of Ireland (GLAI) added: “There has been no previous quantitative examination of the size of the casino gaming sector in Ireland nor the potential for future growth, based on international trends. This report establishes some level of an economic benchmark for the debate on regulation.”

The economic assessment also examines the potential for Ireland to become a centre of international online gambling activity, which it notes, “has the potential to be even more economically significant for the Irish economy than the land-based sector.”

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