Northern Ireland to debate gambling harm motion; FOBTs to be aligned with Britain
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The motion calls for gambling harm to be recognised as a public health issue.
UK.- The Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly will debate a private members’ motion that calls for gambling-related harm to be classified as a public health issue. The motion was proposed by the All-Party Group (APG) on Reducing Harm Related to Gambling.
Dubbed ‘Supporting a Public Health Approach to Tackling Gambling-Related Harms’, the motion is the result of the APG’s inquiry into public health approaches to gambling harms in Northern Ireland. The report from the year-long investigation resulted in 57 recommendations including the development of policies incorporating population-based approaches that prioritise harm prevention like those implemented for alcohol and tobacco.
The APG also stressed the need to protect children and those already experiencing harm from “targeted and pervasive” gambling-related marketing. It is especially concerned about marketing during sports broadcasts and on social media. Meanwhile, the minister of health is urged to commission statutory services specifically for gambling disorders.
The APG estimates that gambling harm in Northern Ireland could indirectly affect up to 200,000 people.
The group’s chair, Philip McGuigan of Sinn Féin, said: “Adopting a public health approach means treating gambling in a similar way to alcohol and tobacco. We need policies that focus not just on individual-level harms but also on population-based approaches that prioritise harm prevention. This is because, as with other legal addictive products, the whole population is vulnerable to gambling addiction and harm.”
New FOBT rules
The Legislative Assembly has voted to align Northern Ireland’s rules for fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) with those in Great Britain. The motion filed by communities minister Gordon Lyons means the maximum stake will be raised to £2 and the prize limit to £500. Lyons had argued that as well as introducing harmonisation with Great Britain, the move would ensure more clarity.
Calls for alignment with UK and Ireland on gambling ads
The APG has long suggested that gambling regulation in Northern Ireland is lagging behind both the rest of the UK and the Republic of Ireland. In November, members of the APG wrote to the UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport secretary of state Lisa Nandy to ask her to extend British regulations for gambling advertising to Northern Ireland. It also suggested that new Irish gambling legislation south of the border could be used as a model. This includes a 5.30am to 9.00pm watershed for broadcast gambling advertising and a ban on ads that could appeal to children.
Meanwhile, the UK health body NICE this week recommended that doctors ask patients about gambling behaviour as part of a standard health check.