Paddy Power Ends Relationship with Ireland’s RTE

Posted on: November 23, 2021, 07:30h. 

Last updated on: December 1, 2021, 08:57h.

Erik Gibbs Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

Paddy Power has ended its partnership with RTE, Ireland’s national television and radio broadcaster. Its sponsorship of the live broadcasts on RTE will end in 2022.

Paddy Power Shop
A Paddy Power shop in Ireland, seen here. The company is facing changes as new regulations in the country are introduced (Image: Paddy Power)

The announcement comes just before the new guidelines of the Irish Bookmakers Association (IBA) take effect. These new guidelines cover whistle-to-whistle advertising.

Whistle-to-whistle advertising bans betting advertisements during live sports games. This includes five minutes before a game and five minutes after. They include advertisements and breaks of play at half-time, field-side LED signs and other forms of marketing.

The ban on whistle-to–whistle ads doesn’t apply to greyhound racing and horseracing in the country. However, it does impact the lucrative soccer market, which some analysts believe is a significant area of problem gambling.

Ireland’s new guidelines will begin on Jan. 1, 2022.

Paddy Power Embraces Safer Gambling

Paddy Power has stated that it supports the new regulatory framework. It also said that it had already taken a market-leading position regarding the intervention of problem gambling.

Paddy Power don’t just support the incoming whistle-to-whistle ban as a company, we have already taken a market-leading position on this intervention,” according to a statement by the company.

Recently, Paddy Power questioned the “Take A Break- Safer Gambling” ad campaign. The company questioned whether these might also violate the new regulations. However, it isn’t clear if the marketing violates the IBA Code that takes effect as of the new year.

The IBA spent the weekend looking at the regulations. However, it was unable to confirm if advertising safer gambling is still whistle-to-whistle marketing.

All other major independent bookies and brands, except William Hill, have signed up for Code for Safer Gambling. James Browne, minister of state at the Department of Justice, is leading legislative changes in the gambling sector through the introduction of regulation by 2023.

More Emphasis on Problem Gambling Coming to Ireland

The legal age to gamble is 18 in Ireland. However, recent studies show that problem gambling among teenaged boys has increased by more than two times in the past 4-5 years. This means that over 3,400 schoolchildren in Ireland aged 15-16 could be gambling excessively or problematically, according to the research.

Extern, a leading charity dealing with addictions, is raising awareness of the dangers that problem gambling poses to young people.  The organization is holding a series of workshops delivered to schools throughout the country.

The goal is to raise awareness about the negative effects that problem gambling can have on people, families, and communities. HSE National Lottery Grants Scheme provided funding for the workshops.