Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their input. I wish to go into the issues a little. The cohort of people about whom we are most concerned are those who become addictive and compulsive and who lose everything because of gambling's addictive nature and the buzz they get from it. I wonder at the figures sometimes. I have read through some of the analysis. Were I asked in a questionnaire whether I gambled, I would have to say I did because I do the lotto occasionally and I might put a bet on something rarely. As such, I would be a gambler in the statistics. I imagine there are many people like me, and they represent a large proportion of the statistics. There is also a large number of people who make a bet a little more regularly, but it would not be a major part of their lives.

Then there is a large group of people who are regular gamblers. They gamble regularly, have a bet a couple of times per week, are always studying the form of horses and so on. I imagine that a larger proportion of this group of regular gamblers versus the other cohorts fall into the category of what are termed "problem gamblers" or people for whom gambling is compulsive or addictive. In that context, saying that the number of people addicted to gambling lies somewhere between 0.5% and just over 1% is massaging the figures, if the witnesses will excuse the term. If we examined the proportion of regular gamblers who became addicted, I believe we would find the proportion to be higher. That is where we should focus. These are the people whom I see going into betting shops regularly. They are always studying horses' form, they are always watching games, etc. A large proportion of them end up addicted and getting into difficulty.

Our emphasis is on putting something in place to protect these people from themselves. That is what we have to do and we want to work with the industry on doing so. We recognise that there is an industry and that it has a job to do, but we also recognise that, to date, enough has not been done. This has been acknowledged. What more do the witnesses believe needs to be done to ensure that that cohort of people are protected and do not end up having their homes taken off them or ruining their lives and the lives of their families? What measures need to be taken in addition to what has been laid out in the general scheme of this Bill?