Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 17 April 2019

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality

Regulation of Gambling Sector: Discussion

Photo of Louise O'ReillyLouise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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We need to be careful of the language we use. If one confines it to addiction, one sets the bar quite high and one will miss many people.

The results of the drug prevalence survey from 2014-15 was published recently. It conflicts with results from the North. For example, in Dundalk, the rate of problem gambling is 0.8% but 15 miles up the road, in Newry, it is 2.3%. It is ludicrous to suggest that there is such a considerable difference between those towns separated by a couple of miles. The Government has underestimated its figures substantially. Gambling is something that does not happen necessarily out in the open, particularly online. Why is there such a disparity between those figures?