The government of Ireland has been warned that it currently lacks the capacity to research problem gambling and its societal impacts, as dynamics that will be tested by the launch of a new Irish gambling market in 2023.
New research from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) reveals that this issue “could be larger than initial estimates” and should be a main priority during the creation of a new regulatory body, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI).
The study was commissioned to offer evidence-based research that will inform the public policy debate and decision-making surrounding the governance of gambling.
A previous estimate suggested that approximately 0.3% of the Irish population (roughly 12,000 individuals) have problem gambling issues, with an additional 0.9% (about 35,000 people) classified as “at risk”.
