Gambling Regulation Act 2024
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Payments out of Social Impact Fund | ||
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51. (1) The Authority may, from time to time, make a payment or payments to a person out of the Social Impact Fund of such amount of money as the Authority considers appropriate for any or all of the following purposes: | ||
(a) research, training, community interventions and other initiatives aimed at reducing or eliminating compulsive or excessive gambling and the social impact of compulsive or excessive gambling; | ||
(b) public education and awareness-raising measures for the purposes of— | ||
(i) highlighting the social impact of compulsive or excessive gambling, or | ||
(ii) informing the public about the resources available to address compulsive or excessive gambling; | ||
(c) the provision of services— | ||
(i) for the treatment of participants engaged in compulsive or excessive gambling, and | ||
(ii) to other persons affected by compulsive or excessive gambling; | ||
(d) cooperation with persons outside the State in research and training which will benefit persons in the State by reducing or eliminating compulsive or excessive gambling and the social impact of compulsive or excessive gambling; | ||
(e) projects, programmes or initiatives which are compatible with the purposes referred to in paragraphs (a) to (d). | ||
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), the Authority may invite persons to— | ||
(a) make proposals for the provision of services or engagement in activities referred to in any of paragraphs (a) to (e) of subsection (1), and | ||
(b) apply for a payment from the Social Impact Fund for the provision of such services or engagement in such activities. | ||
(3) The Authority shall publish an invitation under subsection (2) on its website and shall set out, in the invitation concerned— | ||
(a) the criteria the Authority will use to assess proposals, and | ||
(b) where a proposal is accepted, the manner in which a payment of money shall be made from the Social Impact Fund. | ||
(4) A person who receives money from the Social Impact Fund shall keep an account, as required under section 55 , of the expenditure of that money. | ||
(5) The Authority may attach a condition to a payment of money made to a person out of the Social Impact Fund and, where it does so, the person concerned shall comply with that condition. | ||
(6) A person who fails to comply with subsection (4) or (5) is guilty of an offence and is liable— | ||
(a) on summary conviction, to a class A fine or to imprisonment for a period of 12 months, or both, or | ||
(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine or to imprisonment for a period of 5 years, or both. | ||
(7) The Authority may by notice in writing request a report in writing from a person who receives money from the Social Impact Fund and the report shall contain such information as may be specified by the Authority concerning the use of that money and relating to compliance with such conditions (if any) as are imposed under subsection (5). | ||
(8) A person shall comply with a request under subsection (7) within such period as is specified in the request or within such other period as may be agreed in writing by the Authority and that person. |