10 signatures reached
To: All members of Dublin City Council, Dublin City Council
End dangerous gambling advertising online
We are calling on the Government to ban the dangerous practice of gambling advertising. This practice has gone unregulated for far too long.
We are demanding they support the Gambling (Prohibition of Advertising) Bill 2022.
Why is this important?
President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins has said gambling ads are a 'scourge' of modern-day life. [1] Left unregulated, dangerous gambling advertisements will continue to cause so much damage to families and individuals.
Ireland has the fourth highest number of gamblers in the European Union, according to a study by industry analysts H2 Gambling Capital. On average, losses for Irish gamblers amount to €300 for every adult, totaling €1.36 billion in 2020.[2]
The deluge of online gambling online makes it far too easy to place a bet, and the rules have not kept up. The pandemic has also exacerbated this problem, with nearly half of all betting last year taking place online.
The Government introduced a working group on this issue who published recommendations in 2019. Now it's time to act!
NOTES
1. https://www.thejournal.ie/problem-gambling-michael-d-higgins-5491317-Jul2021/