Gambling should be recognised as a “major public health risk” in Northern Ireland, a new report has recommended.
The Stormont Executive has been urged to treat gambling similarly to alcohol and tobacco with a warning that the whole population is vulnerable to gambling addition and harm.
Recent figures indicate that some 2.3% of the population in Northern Ireland has a gambling problem – a figure that is four times higher than that recorded in Great Britain, and three times higher than the Republic of Ireland.
The new report follows an inquiry carried out by the Northern Ireland All Party Group on Reducing Harm Related to Gambling between December 2022 and January 2024.
