Latest news with #GamblingRegulationAct
RTÉ News
03-07-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Study finds inducements lead to gamblers spending more
A new study has found that gambling companies encourage people to gamble more than they would otherwise, through special offers and inducements. The study, commissioned by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), the Department of Justice and undertaken by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) found that these offers encourage people to gamble more, even when poor odds on a bet are offered. Special offers or inducements, such as free bets and moneyback guarantees, are regularly used by gambling companies in their marketing campaigns. The study found that vulnerable people, such as those at higher risk of becoming problem gamblers, were most at risk of gambling more and losing more as a result of being offered inducements. As part of the study, 622 men under 40 were given money to place up to six realistic bets on the Euro 2024 football tournament. Half of the participants, who were randomly selected, were offered inducements, which led to them spending 10% more than those who were not offered inducements. The inducements also reduced the number of participants opting not to bet by nearly half. Inducement bets that were designed as "bad", showing odds far below market rates, were undertaken by participants in this group, who were three times more likely to spend money on "bad" bets. Participants were surveyed after the study on their knowledge and understanding of inducements. Even amongst regular betters, most did not know that there were restrictions on free bets and that they would not receive their stake back if they won a free bet. Inducements soon to be an offence Under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, inducements or encouragements to gamble further will soon be an offence and licensed operators will no longer be allowed to offer free bets. Multiple European countries have also begun to regulate inducements. "I very much welcome this research from the ESRI examining the impact of inducements to gamble on gambling behaviours. Having a clear evidence base is critically important to the GRAI as we commence our work in regulating the gambling industry," said Paul Quinn, GRAI Chairperson. "This study clearly indicates the damaging effect of certain practices around inducements. It underlines the importance of the provisions of the Gambling Regulation Act in limiting a person's exposure to inducements to gamble. "We look forward to working with Minister O'Callaghan in addressing the issue as we implement the new regulations," he added. GRAI CEO, Anne-Marie Caulfield said that the study highlighted a lack of public knowledge regarding inducements to bet. "The impact of these inducements go beyond simple marketing by betting companies," she said. "It is our responsibility to ensure that gambling operators do not encourage excessive or compulsive gambling behaviour, and that we protect vulnerable people in our society, such as children and young people and those more likely to experience gambling harm. "The Gambling Regulation Act 2024 sets out obligations for licensees in the way in which inducements can be offered, including a ban on targeted inducements, and the findings of this study affirm these measures," she added. Increase in online gambling ESRI Research Officer Diarmuid Ó Ceallaigh said that there had been "huge growth" in online gambling over the last decade. "There's a lot more risk associated around online gambling because of the fact that you just can't get away from it if you have a gambling problem," he said on RTÉ's Morning Ireland. "At least if it was a bookmakers, they have to close at night, whereas you just have 24/7 access to your phone with online gambling and it's more difficult to control it." Mr Ó Ceallaigh said the difference between these inducements and offers on other products is that gambling is highly addictive. "The fundamental difference between, say an offer on a gambling product and an offer on something like clothes, is that gambling is a highly addictive product and there's a high rate of problem gambling in Ireland," he said. "We showed in a report two years ago that one in 30 adults in Ireland suffer from problem gambling, so there's a fundamental difference there." Mr Ó Ceallaigh said that the implications of the study show that these offers pose a real risk of financial harm, particularly to vulnerable people. "There's certainly a case there for restrictions and regulation of inducements or offers to go beyond what's currently legislated", he added.
Irish Examiner
21-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
Ireland to impose 'heaviest penalties' in Europe on companies that allow children to gamble
Ireland will soon have the 'heaviest penalties' in Europe for companies that allow children to gamble, the industry regulator has said. The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland made the statement in response to a new European-wide survey that showed a significant increase in young people in Ireland who have gambled in the last year. The data also showed that rates of gambling among young people here are well above the European average. 'One of the principle aims of the Gambling Regulation Act is to protect young people from the harms of gambling,' the regulator told the Irish Examiner. 'Child protection is one of the key principles of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 and will therefore be a major focus of our work.' European survey The EU's Drug Agency on Tuesday published the eighth edition of its European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs. It surveyed 114,000 students aged 15-16 across 37 European countries including Ireland last year. While it found that the use of cannabis, cigarettes and alcohol is falling among Irish teens, gambling is on the rise. In Ireland, it found that 29.1% of young people in that age group had gambled in the last year. This was an increase from 24% in 2019. This rose to almost a third (31%) of males while it dropped to 27% for females. Almost one in five males aged 15-16 (19.4%) said they'd gambled online in the last 12 months while 13.6% of females said they had. There were significantly higher numbers reporting gambling in-person, at 27.9% of males and 24.9% of females. In advance of being granted its powers, the Gambling Regulatory Authority had commissioned the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) to conduct research on gambling in Ireland, including among young people. A recent study found that online gaming in adolescence and young adulthood 'strongly correlated' with both online gaming and gambling frequency at age 20. When the Gambling Regulation Act is fully commenced, the country's gambling regulator will have sweeping powers to crack down on gambling operators and dish out significant fines for breaching the law. Under the law, financial sanctions can reach up to €20m or 10% of a company's turnover, whichever is higher. A firm allowing a child to gamble will furthermore carry a potential penalty of eight years' imprisonment. Licencees and owners of gambling websites will not be allowed to sponsor an event aimed at children, an organisation, club or team in which children are members and an event in which the majority of those attending or competing are children. Separately, an advertising watershed will apply and any advertising that targets children and portrays gambling as attractive will be illegal. The regulator added: '[We] acknowledge the findings of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs for 2024 and take note of the findings. '[We are] committed to fulfilling our mandate as an independent regulatory body, and we will continue to keep public health at the centre of everything we do. This commitment is reflected in our mission to effectively regulate and educate in order to safeguard current and future generations from gambling harm.'
