Earlier this week, the spokesman of Ireland’s Labour Party, Mark Wall, called for the country’s Government to be more ambitious in the proposed regulation of the local gambling sector. At the time, he called for the Irish lawmakers to impose a full ban on gambling advertising.
Senator Wall presented evidence for clear public support for such a measure through Red C polling in the Business Post and noted that imposing an advertising ban on the gambling industry would be the right thing to do if the Government is willing to prevent young people from gambling and to protect vulnerable people from potential gambling-related harm. He recommended that local lawmakers should go the full way by adopting and implementing the Bill to suspend gambling ads that has been prepared by the Labour Party.
The new gambling control bill of the Government seeks to ban all gambling advertising in the period from 5:30 AM and 9:00 PM. Senator Wall believes that the Irish lawmakers need to be more ambitious in terms of gambling regulation and should go “the full way” when it comes to gambling advertising.
The Labour Party’s spokesman also noted that the aforementioned ban would not eliminate the problem for individuals who suffer from problem gambling because addiction is not something that simply goes away after 9:00 PM because gambling companies work 24/7, and the expansion of online gambling affects more people every day.
Gambling Adverts Take Advantage of Players’ Addictions, Campaigners Say
Ireland’s Labour Party has raised a red flag that gambling advertising is literally everywhere – mobile phone applications, social media, television and radio channels, etc. According to the party’s spokesman, a full ban is necessary in order for the authorities to take back the control that gambling operators have managed to gain over Irish residents.
Senator Wall explained that the gambling industry has invested all its efforts into creating a strong link in people’s minds between major sports events and betting. He further noted that gambling addiction is a behavioural issue that these adverts take advantage of by encouraging people to gamble, and the worst part is that there are no adequate controls in place to make sure vulnerable people are protected against gambling-related harm.
The spokesman of the Irish Labour Party praised the Belgian Government for making a “brave move” recently by announcing a full ban on gambling advertising that is set to be implemented as of July 1st, 2023. According to him, the Irish Government needs to also show it is brave enough to take similar measures and do the right thing by also adopting a full ban on the controversial adverts.
Labour Party members believe that the implementation of further restrictions on gambling advertising would not only ensure better protection for those susceptible to addiction but would also act as a mind shift for younger generations persuading them they could enjoy sports without placing wagers.
According to recent reports from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), 9.3% of young people between 17 and 20 years of age have already gambled online, with 7.2% of them already gambling on a regular basis. Researchers have noted that gambling adverts have been playing a major role to encourage such behaviour. Apart from that, the level of gambling participation and problem gambling in Irish communities has been described as concerning not only by researchers and certain lawmakers, but also by various anti-gambling campaigners who have called for the Government to follow Belgium’s lead and take serious action to tackle gambling-related harm in the country.
- Author
Daniel Williams
