Gaming and gambling in the Irish casino news

It seems that the difference between gaming and gambling is becoming a focus point for the Irish casino news and while most people would say there is no difference others would disagree strongly and it all comes down to taxation. If you walk into a casino (not an online casino as online casinos are subject to different legislation) and play roulette then your are gaming and that casino must pay VAT as well as tax on any profits but at a high street bookmaker all bets attract only a 1% levy so our smart bookmakers allow you to place a bet via a betting slip on the outcome of a roulette wheel spin which is electronic and because you hand over a betting slip it is now gambling. This also does not require a gaming license whereas a casino does. Another form is the lottery which when it is fixed odds as played at online casinos but also available at bookmakers premises  is gambling. Even articles in the Irish casino news have difficulty in explaining what the difference is between gaming and gambling with one suggesting that it is gaming when the placer of the bet could have some influence over the outcome whereas gambling is when he does not but this does not really provide a complete picture as there is no way a punter can influence the outcome of a roulette wheel but they could influence the outcome of a hand of blackjack for example. Casinos.ie does not have an answer to this but it is interesting to see it being discussed in the Irish casino news. Currently of course online casinos are not subject to any legislation but it will be interesting to see how this debate affects any decision about taxing of an online casino.