Like any other addiction, gambling addiction is public health issue that requires strong, clear, consistent public health messaging to create awareness, reduce stigma and encourage people to seek support. We ran campaigns with TG4, Virgin Media, national and local radio and in 2024 collaborated with Oisin McConville, Richie Power and Conn Kilpatrick to deliver a campaign on RTE alongside the GAA Championships. The impact of this campaign was immediate and beyond our expectations. Calls to the National Helpline went up by 43% and many services reported an increase in demand for support. The National Problem Gambling Support Service delivered by Family Resource Centres across the country engaged Tony O’Reilly to help raise awareness, work with the Gambling Counsellors and deliver talks in communities. This was another significant effort in getting the message out, reducing stigma and encouraging people to talk about gambling.
Having recently gathered data from service providers for the first six months of 2024, we can see the result of this targeted awareness work.
- 717 people experiencing harmful gambling and working through addiction engaged in treatment.
- 75% of those received support in their communities through dedicated counselling while 25% went into specialist residential treatment programmes.
- Almost 40% of those receiving support were young men in the 25–44-year-old age range.
- 12% of those accessing support were women.
