The number of gambling addicts around the world has been on the rise over the last few years. With various technologies making it a lot easier for consumers to access a great variety of gambling products online, more and more people are getting hooked on gambling, with many of them ending up as problem gamblers and suffering serious negative consequences in their personal and professional lives.
For example, France reported there were about 200,000 problem gamblers in the country, but the latest data showed that the number has risen to 340,000. On the other hand, the UK has posted pretty much unchanged gambling addiction rates, new technology has made it possible to reach individuals who have not been detected as problem gamblers for years.
According to the latest report of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), something similar is currently happening in Ireland. The ESRI recently revealed some concerning findings that the real number of people who are addicted to gambling in Ireland could be much larger than what was previously believed.
The research comes at a time when the nation is making preparations for the introduction of a new gambling regulatory framework and the establishment of a new independent gambling industry regulator that is expected to start operation in the third quarter of 2023. The new watchdog will be responsible for the supervision of the entire gambling market in Ireland, once it is up and running.
New Ireland’s Independent Gambling Regulator to Start Operation Soon
As revealed by the Economic and Social Research Institute, local lawmakers should not waste any more time and establish the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) as quickly as possible, with a primary focus on the implementation of customer protection measures above everything else.
Recently, the ESRI has shared its latest research data suggesting that the 12,000 individuals that are currently reported as problem gamblers, and the other 35,000 considered at risk of developing problem gambling behaviour in Ireland are far below the actual number of people affected by gambling addictions. According to the Economic and Social Research Institute, the actual number of individuals affected by gambling addiction is much higher than originally reported.
The CEO designate of the forthcoming Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, Anne Marie Caulfield, explained that the body had commissioned the ESRI to conduct another study aimed at measuring the extent of problem gambling in the country.
Researchers from the aforementioned Institute have noted that the way the data has been gathered did not take into account the social stigma that is usually faced by problem gamblers and the survey respondents’ reluctance to be open about their potential gambling addiction, which may have left many actual problem gamblers undetected for years. On the other hand, the Economic and Social Research Institute believes there significant improvement can be brought to many areas that have much in common with the way the number of problem gamblers in the country is collected.
The reduction of gambling addiction rates has been a focal point of the UK Government, especially with its White Paper on gambling now being in the process of consultation. The country’s lawmakers have been looking to enact massive changes in the country’s gambling sector in order to ensure better regulation of the industry and more efficient protection against gambling-related harm.
- Author
Daniel Williams
