Bet Again Casino: We are not against gambling, it is the location!

Members of the Charleville/Fermoy Municipal District Council in Co Cork have taken a stand against potential casino developments in their area of governance. Council members, including Independent Cllr June Murphy and Fine Gael Cllr Noel McCarthy, proposed motions to ban new gaming arcades throughout the municipal district, which covers towns such as Charleville, Doneraile, and Fermoy.

The move comes as gaming companies are believed to be seeking to locate in smaller towns ahead of new government legislation that will make it more difficult for them to do so when it comes into effect next year.

Cllr Frank O’Flynn, Municipal District Council Chairman, stated that he supports a municipal-wide ban as casino operators might move into nearby villages if a ban was imposed only in towns. The councillors emphasized that the ban was not against gambling or casinos, but rather against the location near homes, schools, and in community spaces.

The weight of public opinion is also behind the council, as Cllr Kay Dawson has received many representations from people who are against a casino operating in their communities. The former Fermoy Town Council had previously banned casinos, but the town has grown so much that most of it is now not included in the designated ban area.

Campaign activists from BeAgainstCasin.com echoed the council's concerns, stating that they are not against gambling or casinos, but against their location near schools and public parks where children and teens play and hangout. Cllr Lourda Scott and Cllr Stephen Stokes have also voiced their objections to the proposed casino in Greystones. We want to be clear, it is not a campaign against gambling, it is a campaign against the location. Walking distance from three schools and in front of a park where kids and teens play.

The council has asked their legal advisers to ensure they have the power to prevent casinos from opening up in their area, and they were informed that a reserve function of the municipal function allows this.

Once the legal advice has been received, Chairman O’Flynn has stated that he will call a special meeting to enact the ban in Cork.

This shows that Greystones is not alone in their opposition to a nearby casino, as there is central and local government support and precedents to prevent this practice near homes, schools, and in communities.

Content from this article was take from an article originally written by Sean O'Riordan of the Irish Examiner. [https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-20468129.html].