A comprehensive review of Northern Ireland’s 2022 gambling reform will be delivered next year, Minister for Communities Gordon Lyons has confirmed.
The commitment was made in response to Phillip McGuigan, Irish Sinn Féin politician and Member of the MLA, during questions at the latest NI Assembly.
Lyons added that the review will assess the effectiveness of the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements Amendment Act 2022, targeting the delivery of a comprehensive, evidence-based analysis to inform future policy work.
The Minister, however, steered clear of any promises to introduce further gambling reforms, citing the complexity and the rapidly evolving nature of the sector as the main reason why such a move should be expected at a later stage.
“It will be for a future Minister to determine the details of the gambling legislation that should be taken forward in the next mandate,” Lyons said.
“I have, however, instructed my officials to continue to scope and gather evidence on the statutory protections that are already in place.
“That will help identify deficiencies that may need to be addressed through a future reform Bill, while ensuring that existing protections are maximised in the interim.”
Whatever Lyons’ contributions towards the future of gambling in Northern Ireland will be until his mandate expires in May 2027, it is to be expected that they will adopt a public health perspective, as revealed by the Minister himself.
“It is very much a health issue as well. I commit to working with the Health Minister to ensure that we can do what needs to be done to tackle it, because it has a huge impact on people’s lives; on the education of our young people; and, certainly, on the physical and mental health of our population.”
Public health at the core of NI reform debate
A task that should be treated with utmost priority for both health officials and gambling stakeholders in Northern Ireland is problem gambling education.
In 2025, a national survey into the profile of Northern Irish gamblers – albeit with a very small pool – presented indications that stigma might have still prevented players from seeking support for harmful behaviours.
Out of 1,124 gamblers, only 1% admitted to reaching out to mental health services in the 12 months prior to the report.
The question of whether Northern Ireland is lagging behind problem gambling support infrastructure compared to other parts of the UK has been previously raised by policymakers.
England and Wales both have specialised clinics with expert staff trained in treating gambling harm patients, while Northern Ireland has no current equivalent.
Gambling harm funding in England and Wales is delivered through statutory levies and NHS commissioning, equating to millions of pounds annually. There is no system of such scope currently in place in Northern Ireland.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has previously recommended the adoption of such measures in Northern Ireland, also endorsed by the country’s Department of Health.
However, expert and political views seem to agree that such a wide-scale adoption would incur high costs and impose the need to completely restructure the current gambling framework.
But with 3% of the adult population considered to be at-risk gamblers, according to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, and an obvious policy gap, it is suffice to say that plans towards healthcare improvements should be accommodated sooner rather than later. The cost will be paid by the public either way.
