Gambling addiction is a rising problem in Ireland

Over the past six months in Ireland the number of people attending Gamblers Anonymous (GA) meetings has doubled and at some meetings has over trebled. Gambling addiction is a rising problem in Ireland fuelled by the economic struggle which has meant that addicts can no longer stay on top of their gambling bills.

In Dublin, the numbers of people who attend the GA meetings has gone from five or six to over thirty in less than a year. The demand for help among compulsive gamblers in the city is so great that there are several different meetings held in the city every day of the week, and the trend is similar across the rest of the country, showing that gambling addiction is a rising problem in Ireland. A spokesperson for GA said “In the good times people could support their habit, they were on such good money they were still able to the pay the bills. Now they just can’t and need the support network of the meetings to try and stop.”

Revenue figures reveal that over £3.6 billion was gambled in 1,093 betting shops across Ireland during 2008. These figures represent a rise of nearly £300m from 2006 despite the number of bookmakers reducing. These figures do not include bets taken on-course, online gambling or the Irish Lottery, all of which also have large-scale compulsive gambling issues. The Irish Lottery is one of the ways that people become addicted to gambling simply because it is so readily available and is advertised constantly. The Irish Lottery has never really been seen as gambling in the eyes of the public making it that much easier for players to fall into gambling habits while trying to become a lottery winner.

For most people gambling is a fun activity which they can take or leave but for certain people gambling addiction is a serious problem which can ruin their life.We here at Online-Lotto would recommend that if you feel that you have an issue with compulsive gambling you should find help immediately as the longer you leave it the worse your problem will become.