An urgent ban on gambling advertising in sports is needed next year, the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland has said.
The professional body for psychiatrists said tackling gambling addiction through laws and education was required “now more than ever”.
Launching its Gambling Disorder Position Paper, it said Covid-19 restrictions had fed what was already a “hidden epidemic” around the country, adding it was now a “public health crisis”.
The paper says gambling disorder is a behavioural addiction that shares certain features with substance addiction.
It outlines five key planks to target the problem: public education, new legislation, advertising controls, treatment services and research into problem gambling.
It also calls for more robust age verification processes to hinder children accessing gambling websites and enhanced legislation, as well as public education about gambling disorder and greater treatment options.
Prof Colin O’Gara, a consultant addictions psychiatrist specialising in the area of gambling addiction and lead author of the paper, said: “We cannot continue to ignore the links between problem gambling and the current high volume of betting ads – be that in traditional TV ads or on team jerseys and side-line banners.
“Betting has become strongly linked with the enjoyment of sports. We are normalising gambling as a behaviour.
“Much like tobacco, in 10 years I think we will look back on the proliferation of gambling advertising in sport and entertainment and ask ourselves how we let it get so out of control. Currently, gambling advertising in Ireland is much too common and, critically, occurs before the adult television watershed.”
