According to a report commissioned by the Gaming and Leisure Association of Ireland, a regulated land-based and online casino gambling sector could, over the next 12 years, create 13,000 new jobs.
The report, undertaken by DKM Economic Consultants, suggests moreover that a regulated sector -- with the appropriate strictures in place -- could deliver annual returns of 280 million euros, by 2020, to the country's finance ministry.
The report, "Economic Assessment of a Regulated Casino Gaming Sector," follows a July report published by Ireland's justice minister, Dermot Ahern, called "Regulating Gaming in Ireland." Mr. Ahern's report made "significant public policy implications regarding the future architecture of many aspects of gaming and betting in Ireland," including the recommendation that the country begin regulating remote gaming.
"As the Government’s own Casino Committee’s report highlighted there is a particular window of opportunity for Ireland at the moment, because the on-line sector is currently largely based in offshore locations that tend to suffer from limitations in terms of IT infrastructure or specialist skill sets," John Lawlor, the report's author, said in a prepared statement.
"According to the industry sources we have consulted," the statement went on, "they would prefer to move onshore to more established and larger jurisdictions, but no such jurisdiction has moved to adequately accommodate them as of yet. This window of opportunity is unlikely to remain open in the long run, however, as strong growth in the sector and straitened economic times make them an attractive target."