Report: 125,000 people at risk of problem gambling in Ireland
A new study by Health Research Board, published on Wednesday, investigated the gambling trends among people aged 15 and over
According to a new report by the Health Research Board (HRB), gambling problems could affect 125,000 lives potentially in Ireland.
The HRB was asked to include questions on gambling in its National Drug and Alcohol Survey in 2019/20 at the request of the Department of Justice, as it is progressing with new gambling legislation.
The HRB was asked to include questions on gambling in its National Drug and Alcohol Survey in 2019/20 at the request of the Department of Justice, as it is progressing with new gambling legislation.
Based on a survey of over 5,700 people, almost half said they have gambled in the last 12 months. The most common form of gambling among those surveyed was buying a lottery ticket or scratchcard, with 10% of people gambling in a bookmaker.
The number of people gambling had fallen since the last survey, from 2,377,000 in 2014/15 to 1,900,000 in 2019/20. However, the study did find that once the lottery was taken out of the equation, men were more likely to be gamblers than women.
The HRB has also called for greater funding for health services to help treat those with gambling addiction, which it says isn’t given the same weight by the Health Service Executive (HSE) as alcohol and drug addiction.
The report goes on to say: “Although some cases of problematic gambling have received treatment in general mental health services or in alcohol or drug addiction services, the HSE has not been funded to develop a programme or intervention for problematic gambling.”
The report outlined that problem gambling knowledge is still ‘limited’ and is not truly captured in addiction figures. However, the report also noted: “The link between problem gambling and socio-economic deprivation should also be a factor informing planning decisions around the density of gambling outlets.”
Dr Deirdre Mongan, research officer at the HRB and the lead author of the report, highlighted from the findings that men were “five times more likely than women to be at-risk gamblers”.
“In terms of the profile of at-risk or problem gamblers, commonly, it is men aged 25-34 who are living in a deprived area, are unemployed and experience substance use problems such as drug use, an alcohol use disorder or smoking.”
Mongan added: “It also shows that gambling problems affect the lives of 135,000 people in Ireland, in particular, young men and people experiencing socio-economic deprivation. The overall figure came from an estimate in the report that 12,000 adults in Ireland are problem gamblers, and an estimated 125,000 people are considered at-risk gamblers.