he change in policy may come as a result of a report that indicated the majority of Irish residents traveling to the US are going to Las Vegas. That is millions of people in Ireland are taking their entertainment dollars to another country, something the Department of Justice wants changed.
The likelihood is that the general election will take place in March before any of the current laws are changed. There is an outside chance, however, according to Dermot Ahern, Minister for Justice, that the law changes could happen before then. Whenever the changes do take place, one thing is certain, millions of dollars will be pumped into the local economy.
Many countries have changed their gaming laws in recent years to not only increase revenue for their government, but also to come into compliance with European Union laws. The result of the law changes has been a worldwide boom in the gaming industry, one that has spread to the Internet.
It has been recommended that two or three casinos be built. Each casino would have 1,500 slot machines, table games, and various entertainment options for their patrons. The casinos would be similar to the one's that exist in Las Vegas and Macau. Las Vegas gaming companies have started to branch into other countries with great success the past couple of years.
The government will have to spend the next couple of months looking over the recommendations and coming up with a plan for regulation. Even if the laws are changed, it would be unlikely that Irish gamblers would be able to attend the casinos until 2012 at the earliest.
