SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Ireland’s betting regulator is calling for feedback on how its social responsibility fund will be administered, coming amid a reassessment of how extensive problem gambling is in the country.
Under Ireland’s Gambling Regulation Act of 2024 a ‘Social Impact Fund’ (SMG) has been created, which will be funded by a mandatory annual levy on bookmakers and gaming companies. The funds will be used to support problem gambling treatment and prevention initiatives across the Republic of Ireland.
The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), also created by the 2024 Act, has opened four consultations open to different stakeholders in betting, gaming and problem gambling treatment.
Each questionnaire focuses on a different group – people with lived experience of harmful gambling or gambling addiction, those working for addiction treatment services, those working with NGOs which focus on vulnerable groups suffering from harmful gambling, and family members affected by another person’s gambling.
The GRAI states that the feedback will help shape Ireland’s SMF, which is planned to support ‘a range of services for those affected by gambling harm in Ireland,’ in the regulator’s words. This comes after the GRAI increased its estimates of the number of people suffering from problem gambling in Ireland.
What do the stats show?
Though the GRAI only commenced some regulatory duties this year and will not begin its full regulatory remit until next year, the regulator has been making extensive use of past studies and research into gambling’s social impact in Ireland.
A notable study, which the GRAI highlighted just this week on its social media channels, was concluded in October 2023 – during the legislative debates around the Gambling Act which was finally passed in October 2024.
The study concluded that 3.3% of Ireland’s population can be considered to suffer from problem gambling, equating to one in 30 adults. This was based on a sample of ‘almost’ 3,000 adults and using the Problem Gambling Severity index (PGSI).
This puts the problem gambling rate 10 tens higher than a previous estimate from five years ago, the 2019–2020 Irish National Drug and Alcohol Survey. Although the researchers did note “some uncertainty about the precision of the main estimates”, it has been noted by the GRAI – which is understandably concerned.
Meanwhile, the findings of another report conducted in June 2024 has suggested that there are strong links between childhood experiences of gambling and problem gambling harm later on in life.
For example, the survey found that 65% of respondents had gambled before the age of 18 and 30% had one parent who gambled, although only 10% had two parents who gambled.
Researchers concluded that regulatory measures to minimise children’s exposure to gambling may be needed, perhaps including advertising restrictions – something that the GRAI already has an enforcement remit over.
Where will the GRAI go from here?
Based on the above findings, the GRAI states that it wants to conduct further research into the societal impact of gambling in Ireland.
It is hoped that this research will help inform its approach to regulation, inform policy development and ensure the public has the most up-to-date and relevant information around harm and addiction.
The recently announced four questionnaires also closely follow the launch of the GRAI’s first consultation in early April, running from 7 April to 5 May. This consultation largely concerned licensing, with three tiers of licences planned under Ireland’s forthcoming regulatory framework.
With its latest series of four consultations, the GRAI hopes to “better understand the impact of gambling addiction in Ireland and ensure that funding is directed where it’s needed most” – the questionnaires opened on 14 April and will close on 15 May.
