A new submission made by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to a public consultation regarding gambling regulation in Northern Ireland revealed that up to 40,000 people in the country may be facing a gambling problem.
For the time being, Northern Ireland is considered to have the highest occurrence of gambling addiction in the UK. According to reports, its incidence of problem gambling is four times bigger than the one measured in the rest of the UK, as well as three times bigger than the one registered in the Republic of Ireland.
The Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has described the existing legislation as one that is out of date and has some deep flaws. The Council also said that the current gambling legislation of the country needs to be reviewed as soon as possible. According to it, lack of regulated provision may end up with gambling being used as what it called an “income stream for paramilitaries” in Northern Ireland.
The Council further noted that gambling companies should not be allowed to target underaged individuals or families, and local councils should make sure so-called amusement arcades remain restricted for the time being. It said it supports the belief there is a link between gaming and gambling and reminded that, previously, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has revealed that children at the age of 11 are facing problem gambling behaviour, while as many as 500,000 underage individuals have shared they gamble on a regular basis.
The Council Calls for Further Restrictions on the Online Gambling Sector
The Mid and East Antrim Borough Council shared further concerns in regard to the considerable growth registered by the online gambling sector in the last few years and called for the competent authorities to make sure stricter regulation of the industry is introduced.
In 2016, the Department for Communities revealed that almost 16% of people gambled online in Northern Ireland, while their participation rate in 2010 was less than 7%. The local authority explained that it was willing to see a considerable increase in the financial support given by the gambling companies to organisations and services that track and research problem gambling in Northern Ireland. It also suggested that a new statutory levy is imposed through the country’s legislation.
The last few years have also seen an increase in the gambling companies’ investments into their marketing and advertising strategies, with some of them openly targeting underage individuals. Stricter rules have already been unveiled in terms of gambling advertising practices, but some campaigners have insisted that further restrictions are necessary to be imposed on the online gambling sector, as the latter has been taking advantage of people, dragging them down to poverty and mental harm that could even lead to suicide.
- Author
Daniel Williams
