Patterns of online and in-person gambling in Ireland
Gambling is a large and growing industry, both internationally and in Ireland, in part because of the expansion of online gambling. The majority of adults in Ireland gamble, at least occasionally and, in many cases, often. Previous research has estimated that 1 in 30 adults in Ireland has problem gambling, with many more describing some level of harm associated with their gambling.
In this context, the present study sought to understand more about the day-to-day realities of how adults in Ireland gamble. An online survey was fielded to a sample of 1,000 people. The sample was designed to be representative of gamblers in Ireland. The criterion for inclusion in the study was that the individual had gambled at least once in the past year, excluding those who had only completed in-person purchases of lottery tickets or scratchcards. The survey explored each individual’s gambling behaviour in detail, including both online and in-person gambling. Questions included: the opening and number of accounts; receipt of notifications; prompts for gambling sessions; contexts in which gambling takes place; experience of gambling; and attempts to reduce gambling. The overall aim was to provide the most detailed understanding of gambling behaviour in Ireland to date.
Online accounts are now common, with 80% of gamblers having at least one account and the majority of these (53%) having more than one. Some 44% of gamblers place bets both online and in person. The most common motivations for opening an online account are to bet on horses or sports matches, or to play lotteries. However, of those who initially open an account to bet on horses or sport, almost four in ten begin betting on more immediate forms of gambling, such as online casinos, slot machines, bingo or scratchcards.
There are asymmetries between how easy people find it to open an online account and to deposit money relative to how easy they find it to close an account and withdraw winnings. Significant minorities of online customers report experiencing difficulty when attempting to close accounts or withdraw winnings.
The large majority of online account holders receive communications from operators every week, via email, text or in-app notifications. Around one-quarter receive communications every day.
Most online gambling sessions begin with an external prompt, such as a reminder of an event, watching sport, or a communication of some kind (notification, advertisement). Around one in five sessions interrupt some other kind of activity, such as family or work time, while one in six sessions are prompted by boredom or stress. Just 6% of online sessions and 16% of in-person sessions are prompted by joining in with others; gambling seems to be more of a solitary than social activity.
Gamblers report more positive than negative emotions while gambling. However, for 26% of online sessions, they report losing ‘a lot’ of money.
Approximately one in four gamblers are either trying to cut down how much they gamble or plan to do so. The most common strategies for cutting back are using willpower and monitoring account history. A minority of those trying to cut back set limits, close accounts or delete apps, while fewer than 1 in 10 use self-exclusion.
Overall, the present study suggests that, in addition to those with problem gambling, there is a substantive minority of gamblers who experience conflict between their short-term behaviour and long-term goals; they express a desire to gamble less, but continue to bet as before. This and other evidence contained in this study, including the holding of multiple accounts, expansion into different gambling activities after opening an online account, the prompting of gambling sessions by adverts and communications, and asymmetries in ease of withdrawal/deposits and account opening/closing, may warrant regulatory attention.
Following the enactment of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 and the establishment of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), a new regulatory regime for gambling in Ireland is developing. As can be expected with a relatively new piece of regulatory legislation, the Act is only partially commenced at the time of writing. The evidence provided here can help to inform the further roll out of its provisions.
In this context, the current research highlights some specific issues. Firstly, to ensure that consumers can make active and informed choices about notifications, it would be instructive to examine the precise method for obtaining consent to receive notifications from gambling operators, including the type and frequency, as well as the method for stopping them. Secondly, future research needs to assess whether the expansion of gambling activities once accounts are opened is linked to harm. The Act contains a provision that could limit online accounts to specific gambling activities, requiring a different account for a different activity. Thirdly, future regulation could also ensure that accounts can be easily closed and that withdrawal functions are as salient and seamless as deposit functions. Lastly, the widespread holding of multiple accounts provides a clear rationale for a centralised self-exclusion system that applies across operators, as required under the Act. Awareness of the register and ease of signing up are likely to be important to its success.
More research is needed into how gamblers are influenced by the designs of apps and websites, advertising and other forms of marketing. A particular priority is to determine whether specific elements of marketing activity are linked to harm.