Irish judge affirms that gambling debts cannot be enforced

Irish punters and operators alike were given a reminder Monday that gambling debts are unenforceable in the Republic when Judge Francis Comerford confirmed the fact, citing the 1956 Gaming and Lotteries Act, which asserts that “every contract by way of gaming or wagering is void.”

The judge threw out a complaint by a punter that a private members casino club in Dublin had in 2015 refused to pay him Euro 11,713 won on roulette, claiming his good fortune was due to an alleged technical problem.

But the problem was irrelevant anyway, the judge found, because Irish law specifically lays down that gambling debts are not enforceable.

Judge Comerford observed in his summing up that parties in a gambling transaction can by law decline to meet their obligations.