The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) now has a better grasp of the country’s gambling behaviour, with more than half of online players (54%) having a second account.
Insights into a pool of 1,000 adult gamblers were highlighted in a study by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) – one of the most comprehensive studies commissioned by GRAI to inform the regulator’s work since its tenure began in March 2025.
As expected, online gambling remains the most prevalent form of gambling, with 77% of respondents having gambled online at least once in the past 12 months, as opposed to 59% in-person, and 44% engaging with both verticals.
Parallel interest in multiple types of gambling was also observed in a notable portion of respondents, where nearly four in 10 who open an online account to bet on sports end up trying other products like iGaming, slots and scratch cards.
Multi-account findings, on top of the above-mentioned 54% who’ve opened a second account in search of good odds and promotional offers, showed that around 10% of online gamblers had four or more accounts.
An interesting detail around marketing revealed that operators might not be so effective in driving engagement, with only one in seven of respondents saying their most recent online gambling session directly followed an email, app notification or a gambling ad.
Gambling remains somewhat disruptive, with one in five online players admitting that their sessions were taking their time off from family and work, and one in seven in-person gamblers reporting the same.
Losing was also more common than breaking even or winning, with 57% of online players and 50% of in-person gamblers saying they ended their most recent session with less money than they had started with.
A total of 25% of respondents said they are actively or planning to reduce their gambling, with one in three of those already trying to spend the same amount or more than the year prior.
Lastly, ESRI reported that respondents frequently pointed out that for them it is easier to open an online account and make a deposit than closing it and withdrawing their winnings, with both technological friction and psychological factors playing an overlapping role.
Anne Marie Caulfield, CEO of the GRAI said: “One of the GRAI’s statutory functions is to monitor and review national and international developments in gambling practices to identify issues of concern which may give rise to an increase in harmful gambling.
“In order for us to identify practices of concern and to assess the effectiveness of regulations, we need to understand the real-life experiences of consumers when they gamble in their everyday lives, and increasingly in online environments. It is within this context that the GRAI commissioned the ESRI to capture a real world understanding of gambling behaviour.”
