Online Gambling by Young People Quadruples in Ireland
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The number of young people gambling online has quadrupled in just three years, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute research. Young men who play team sports are the group most likely to bet online and are three times to gamble than those that don’t play sports.
According to research conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute, online gambling rates among young people in Ireland have seen a four-fold increase since 2020. The study surveyed 4,500 when they were aged 17-18 in 2015-16 and then repeated the questionnaire three years later when they were aged 20.
At 17 years of age, the gambling rate was 2.6%. However, it rose to a figure of 9.3% by the age of 20.
Young men were the group most likely to use online gambling products. At 17, 4.4% of males gambled online, which rose to 15.8% by the age of 20.
The study showed that the gambling rate for females was far lower. At 17, less than 1% of those surveyed said they gambled online. At the age of 20, this number rose to 2.9%.
The disparity between the sexes also continued for those classed as regular gamblers. For example, 10% of males said they gambled at least once a month, while only 2.7% of women said they frequently gambled (at least once a month).
The research also highlighted a link between playing a team sport and gambling. If a youngster participates in a team sport, they are almost three times more likely to use an online gambling product than those that don’t. This trend is once again more prominent in men than women.
The Economic and Social Research Institute report stated: “The findings of the empirical analysis provide support for the theory that the social norms that develop within the young male adult sports team environment may play a role in generating increased gambling behaviour among team members.
“As such, team and sports environments also provide suitable forums for which gambling awareness and behaviours can be discussed and addressed.”
“The findings provide evidence to inform the development of policies and legislation in the area of online and regular gambling, and its links to young people and sports participation.”
The report’s publication comes at an appropriate time, as Ireland’s Parliament has recently passed new legislation strengthening the country’s gambling laws.
In the biggest shake-up since the 1950s, new rules see the introduction of the Gambling Regulatory Authority. The new regulatory body is tasked with public safety and well-being and has oversight of both land-based and online gambling. Senior civil servant Anne Marie Caulfield has been appointed CEO and will serve a fixed term of four years in the role.
The Gambling Regulatory Authority can issue fines up to £17.6m (€20m) and force operators to introduce and enforce anti-money laundering and anti-terror financing procedures.
The regulator has also introduced new rules designed to protect consumers and those deemed at risk. These include; a blanket TV and radio ban on gambling-related advertisements, which is in force from 5:30 am until 9 pm seven days a week. In addition, adverts outside these times must not appeal to a younger audience.
Children are also prohibited from entering any venue where gambling occurs, and operators must ensure that young people under 18 do not access their services.
There is also a ban on operators offering VIP schemes, free bets, and special offers. However, as these incentives are common in other markets, such as the UK, many operators, including the Irish HQ’d Flutter Entertainment.
Rob Corbet from the legal firm Arthur Cox said: “The bill has been promised for many years, and we are looking forward to its publication to assess its implications in more detail. While Ireland did update its remote bookmaker laws in 2015 to capture remote bookmakers and betting exchanges, and while there were some minor updates to the retail lotteries laws in recent years, the vast majority of online gambling products are effectively unregulated due to the practical obsolescence of the Betting Act 1931 and the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956.
“The lack of any legally binding laws governing children and vulnerable gamblers has been politically inexcusable for a long time, so credit must go to the government for addressing it now. I suspect the more contentious issues are likely to relate to advertising and sponsorship controls, credit and promotion limits and other player controls, and it will also be interesting to see the extent to which technology providers and intermediaries will be regulated under the new system.
“How the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland adapts to its mandate will also be closely watched as the legislation allows the regulator to set standards and adopt codes which will more specifically address different forms of gambling and emerging harms.”
Despite some misgivings about the new regulations, most operators have welcomed the new bill. Flutter Entertainment chairman Ian Proctor said the operator would work constructively with the regulator.
