Ireland’s gambling crisis ‘ten times worse than previously thought’

Problem gambling is “ten times higher than had been previously thought”, the head of Ireland’s new gambling regulator has revealed.

Anne Marie Caulfield, CEO of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, said the Economic and Social Research Institute’s (ESRI) findings only emphasised the urgency of increased regulation. ESRI found that over three per cent of people demonstrated “significant harm from gambling”, while a further seven per cent exhibited “moderate levels”.

Once fully enacted, the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 will create a social impact fund to address problem gambling, and ban advertising across on-demand services, television and radio between 5:30am and 9pm.

Young people

Speaking to The Irish Sun, Caulfield said: “One of the first things I did was commission a study by the ESRI and they found that gambling harm is ten times higher in Ireland than previously thought. That really focuses the mind on the fallout for the people involved, but also family or friends.”

“What this act is very much involved in is making sure that children are protected and that those who are suffering from gambling harms are protected.”

She emphasised that this “issue is a very important one for us”, especially in light of earlier research which found that 28 per cent of boys aged 16 had gambled in the previous twelve months.

‘I lost everything’

In Northern Ireland, goalkeeper Aaron Hogg told The Nolan Show about his own gambling problem: how he had started by betting five or ten pounds on football, before it progressed to using “loans, credit cards, payday loans” and borrowing to spend on roulette.

The Irish League footballer, who currently plays for Dundela, explained: “I lost as much as I had in my hand everyday. The house, the car, everything was gone through debt and gambling. I lost everything due to gambling and roulette. I didn’t pay any bills – all the money I got was put into online.

“I used to get paid monthly and you had it gone by the time you woke up the next day and had to spend the rest of the month in survival mode. I’m six-and-a-half years debt-free now and I have my family back and relationships back, but it’s a difficult road to start and hard to get that back.

“This is why I want to get the awareness out. Before it gets that bad, if I can share my story that if somebody wants to come and open up to me, I can give advice and point in the right direction.”