Stakeholders call for more unified gambling support services in Ireland
The GRAI has published the results of a consultation.
Ireland.- The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) has published feedback on its national stakeholder consultation on the strategic direction of its planned Social Impact Fund. It found that there is a strong agreement that the current national response on gambling harm is limited in scale, inconsistently coordinated and marked by service and policy gaps.
The report, titled Informing the Social Impact Fund: A National Consultation on Gambling Harm in Ireland is based on five tailored stakeholder questionnaires completed by 162 respondents, and five focus group workshops with 54 participants across key sectors. Participants included people with lived experience of gambling addiction, family members, gambling counsellors, residential and community-based treatment providers, NGOs and academic researchers.
Respondants also indicated that gambling harm remains poorly understood, with stigma and lack of public awareness hindering early intervention. There is also insufficient support for families and affected others, they said, while community-based aftercare and follow-up supports for those leaving treatment programmes are underdeveloped and there is a need for structured, specialist training in gambling specific interventions.
The consultation identified key areas for investment: improving public awareness and prevention efforts, ensuring timely access to treatment and counseling, providing consistent aftercare, enhancing family and peer support, and developing a qualified workforce.
A broader public consultation is expected to follow, including input on the structure of the statutory annual contribution from licensed gambling operators.
The GRAI said: “Participants across all groups expressed a clear desire for services that are accessible, consistent and delivered in a safe, respectful and person-centred way. Strong emphasis was placed on the importance of prevention and education, timely access to counselling and recovery supports, greater public awareness and the value of peer and family involvement.
“The findings presented here provide a critical evidence base to guide the design and delivery of Ireland’s Social Impact Fund to address gambling related harm. They will directly inform the fund’s initial strategy ensuring that it is grounded in stakeholder priorities and capable of delivering high-impact, system level change. Beyond the fund itself, this consultation offers a wider call to action for coordinated, transparent and sustained responses. The voices represented in this process must continue to shape future policy, service development and national strategies aimed at reducing gambling harm in communities across the country.”
