Irish gambling trends survey raises social mobility concerns
The Republic of Ireland’s Health Research Board has published its Irish gambling trends survey
Ireland.- The Health Research Board (HRB) of the Republic of Ireland has published its Irish Gambling Trends survey, highlighting a relationship between deprivation and problem gambling. The report flags social mobility as a concern.
The report concluded that approximately 90,000 adults in Ireland are low-risk gamblers, 35,000 are moderate-risk and 12,000 adults are problem gamblers. Those living in more deprived areas were more likely to be high-risk.
The HRB also identified a link between high-risk alcohol consumption and higher levels of problem gambling. It found that 13 per cent of high-risk drinkers were also at-risk gamblers, which compared with 2 per cent for low-risk drinkers.
Almost half of respondents aged over 15 reported having gambled in the past 12 months. Lottery was the most common product, with more than 40 per cent of respondents having played. However, lottery participation was actually down by 42 per cent when compared to a year earlier, and down 57 per cent when compared to 2014/15. It remains to be seen whether Ireland’s new “will-be-won” draws can reverse that trend.
The HRB noted that participation and problem gambling figures were similar to those in England, Wales and Scotland and considerably lower than in Northern Ireland.
HRB research officer Dr Deirdre Mongan said: “This new HRB data indicates that most people who gamble do so safely. It also shows that gambling problems affect the lives of 135,000 people in Ireland, in particular, young men and people experiencing socio-economic deprivation.
“The correlation between problem gambling and harmful alcohol or drug use is of real concern as the presence of substance use disorders can lead to difficulties in treatment. This is reflected in a recent Irish study which found that almost one-half of problem gambling treatment cases have a substance use problem.”
Irish gambling legislation
A new bill to reform Ireland’s gambling legislation was presented by minister of state for law reform, youth justice and immigration, James Browne TD. It will create the first dedicated Irish gambling regulator and proposes player protection measures, including a ban on free bets and on credit card gambling.
The latter measure is something that Sinn Féin had called for and that Flutter and later the Irish Bookmakers’ Association (IBA) have already preempted with their own decisions to stop accepting credit cards.
