Irish betting shops can reopen on Monday but major firms aim for following week

The Irish bookmaking industry was among those to receive a major fillip on Friday with the government's decision to accelerate and condense the roadmap for lifting coronavirus restrictions, a strategy that now allows all retail outlets to open from Monday.

It represents a second step forward for betting shops in 14 days, although most outlets are not expected to reopen for a further week.

On May 23, the Irish Bookmakers Association (IBA) had announced that its members were planning to open from the beginning of phase three on June 29, but on Friday the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar revealed that all retail outlets, as opposed to just smaller premises, were permitted to resume trading.

Some independent firms had previously looked into reopening on June 8, a move that initially didn't gain much traction. Now, somewhat unexpectedly, it has come to pass after all.

“The shops that are reopening will be required to operate staggered hours opening no earlier than 10.30am and allocating dedicated time for the elderly, vulnerable and at risk,” said Varadkar, who indicated the ban on mass gatherings would likely continue into the autumn.

The development coincides with Monday's resumption of Irish racing, and is a welcome boost for beleaguered racecourses, whose media rights revenue is reduced significantly when shops are closed.

Sharon Byrne, chairperson of the IBA, has suggested that the major firms, Paddy Power, BoyleSports and Ladbrokes, are unlikely to open their estates until June 15.

Nonetheless, a handful of smaller operators, who might not have an online presence or telephone betting facilities, will open from Monday to provide a limited service.

It is understood that pictures will be available from SIS and TRP to be broadcast from Monday, but it would be just a basic feed without any supplementary elements.

Byrne suggested it is possible the shops that do open on Monday won't avail of the pictures, and that the full broadcast service will resume on June 15, when British shops are scheduled to reopen.

"The vast majority of shops won't open until the 15th – I wouldn't say there will be ten shops open on Monday – but a small handful of independents will open as test shops to trial their systems, gauge the signage and the protocols they need in place to keep customers safe," said Byrne.

Sharon Byrne, chair of the IBA: 'The vast majority of shops won't open until the 15th - I wouldn't say there will be ten shops open on Monday - but a small handful of independents will open.'Credit: Patrick McCann

"We don't want people queuing on the streets so we'll have to see how that will be managed, and some of the small shops feel they are ready. This caught us all by surprise and it's hard for the bigger firms to have all their shops ready at such short notice."

The government had indicated its intention to speed up the reopening of the country on Thursday, and the IBA had a meeting scheduled for Friday. In all, there are 814 betting shops in Ireland.

"As we were talking on Friday Leo Varadkar was on the telly announcing all the different bits, saying that they were comfortable with all of retail opening on June 8 from 10.30 in the morning," Byrne added.

"While different operators will introduce different measures, I'd imagine the first section of the morning will be for the elderly and more vulnerable people, possibly a dedicated hour. Some will have a specific till for the vulnerable and if they are in a shop they won't have to queue – they would go straight to the top of the queue.

"The safety of customers and colleagues remains of paramount importance. All members will ensure that their staff members will have completed their specific Covid-19 training in advance of opening."

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