Bookmakers believe that illegal casinos are “abundant” in Northern Ireland.

Illegal casinos are “rife” in Northern Ireland, according to two major bookmakers.

They told a Stormont committee that at night, legal bingo and casino establishments are sometimes turned into criminal enterprises. According to the commission, these illicit establishments have the potential to place far greater stakes.

Police, according to bookmaker Gary Toal, did not believe they had the resources to intervene. Mr. Toal and his colleague, Paul McLlean, were testifying before the Assembly’s Communities Committee.

Members are now debating the Betting Gaming Lotteries and Amusements Bill, which is the first significant revision to Northern Ireland’s gaming legislation in 40 years.