A complete overhaul of existing legislation is required to tackle the widespread harm caused by gambling in Northern Ireland, a group of MLAs has said.
A report by Stormont’s All Party Group (APG) on Reducing Harm Related to Gambling makes 57 recommendations the group believes are necessary to address what it called ‘a significant issue’.
Gambling regulation is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland. The Assembly is part way through updating The Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (NI) Order 1985.
Recommendations
The APG called for the creation of an independent regulator “tasked with enforcing gambling laws, licensing, and dispensing fines”.
It said that online gambling sites wishing to operate in Northern Ireland should be required by law “to have robust age verification checks to protect children”.
The group also recommended a restriction on “gambling advertising in some form”, including the introduction of a ban on TV gambling adverts between 5.30am and 9pm.
Based on the evidence gathered by the APG inquiry, the MLAs concluded that “the whole population is vulnerable to gambling addiction and harm” and that it “should be officially recognised as a public health issue”.
Gambling harm
Speaking at the launch of the report, former heavy gambler Declan Cregan said: “At the age of 16 when I placed my first £1 on a roulette machine winning £7.20, I had no idea what was about to unfold.
“Fast forward 12 years, I was 28 and full of despair and heartache, my mental health in ruins, suffering with depression and anxiety, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts to name a few.”
Cregan, who is now a training officer with Gambling with Lives, said the charity supported the report’s recommendations and hoped decision-makers would act on them.
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