Popular Culture Review Vol. 19, No. 2, Summer 2008 | Page 81

Gaelic Green and Gaelic Grey 77 Church enjoyed in the past. Censorship is at an end. Political leaders can debate casino legalization without fear of lost political support. Competitive Venues Wishing to Suppress Casinos: Gaming and NonGaming The Irish public has several entertainment venues whose existence could be compromised by the legal casinos. Two stand out: the Irish public house or pub, and the betting shop. There are 11,000 pubs in Ireland (three times the number per person as in England). They are not owned by the major brewery companies as in England. Many have been in the same families for generations.32 Pubs have been attacked as has the consumption of alcohol for scores of years, yet they have persisted. Until recently government efforts to limit drinking, especially drinking at pubs, were futile. However, the influence of the pub as a cultural icon has suffere Bv