Online accounts draw people into more types of gambling, GRAI-commissioned ESRI research finds

• One in ten online gamblers has four or more accounts

• One in four gamblers are trying or planning to cut back

4 November 2026: Nearly four in ten people who open an online account to bet on horses or sport go on to other forms of gambling, such as online casino games, slots and scratch cards, according to new research conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), commissioned by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI).

The study comes as the GRAI, Ireland’s new gambling regulator, continues a phased rollout of its licensing and regulatory functions. The research provides one of the most detailed pictures to date of the daily gambling behaviour and experiences of consumers in Ireland.

The research surveyed a representative sample of 1,000 gamblers about their in-person and online gambling, their most recent gambling sessions, their exposure to operators’ communications and attempts to reduce their gambling. The findings show differences between online and in-person gambling experiences.

Findings include:

• More than three quarters of respondents, 77%, had gambled online during the previous year, while 59% had gambled in person. 44% had gambled both online and in person.

• Many people who opened an online account to bet on horses, sport or lotteries subsequently expanded into other forms of gambling, including online casino games, slots and scratch cards.

• Over half of gamblers (54%) who had opened an online account went on to open a second one, with good odds, easy registration and promotional offers among the most common reasons.

• Around 10% of online gamblers had four or more accounts.

• In their most recent session, 26% of online gamblers said they lost “a lot”, compared with 17% of in-person gamblers.

• One in seven respondents said their most recent online gambling session directly followed an email, app notification or gambling advertisement. Roughly 1 in 5 gamblers said they received notifications every day.

• Gambling displaced other parts of everyday life for some respondents, with one in five online gambling sessions interrupting another activity — work and family time being the most frequently reported.

• One in four respondents said they were trying to reduce their gambling or planned to do so. Of those already trying to cut back, one in three reported that they were gambling the same amount or more than they had one year earlier.

• Many gamblers said they found it easier to open an online account or to deposit money than to close an account or withdraw their winnings.

Speaking at the launch of the research, Jim O’Callaghan, TD, Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration said;

“I am very pleased to launch this latest report in the ESRI's research series examining the gambling landscape in Ireland.

Research of this nature plays a vital role in informing both the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) and my Department, enabling us to continue to develop an evidence-based regulatory framework that is responsive to the public health and social needs of our communities while ensuring that gambling is regulated in a fair, effective, and transparent manner.”

Pete Lunn, head of the ESRI’s Behavioural Research Unit says;

“Many consumers gamble for entertainment without experiencing harm, but our previous research for the GRAI found that 1 in 30 adults in Ireland now experience problem gambling, with many more at risk of harm. This new study sheds light on the pathways that people take that may ultimately lead them to harm. It raises issues of what online consumers are signing up for and whether they know and understand that.”

Speaking about the research findings Anne Marie Caulfield, CEO of the GRAI said;

“One of the GRAI’s statutory functions is to monitor and review national and international developments in gambling practices to identify issues of concern which may give rise to an increase in harmful gambling.

In order for us to identify practices of concern and to assess the effectiveness of regulations, we need to understand the real-life experiences of consumers when they gamble in their everyday lives, and increasingly in online environments. It is within this context that the GRAI commissioned the ESRI to undertake to capture a real-world understanding of gambling behaviour.

This research confirms the need for new obligations which will be placed on licensed operators, particularly around account opening and closing requirements, and the ability to set spending limits and advertising restrictions. The research highlights specific challenges associated with online accounts. More than half of online account holders are gambling using multiple accounts, often simultaneously across different platforms. Our focus will be on practical and proportionate protections, including marketing standards, effective account controls and self-exclusion arrangements, while ensuring that regulation responds appropriately to developments in the ways in which people gamble.”