Our Gambling Awareness Trust Ambassador Oisin McConville took part in a panel discussion today, as part of the launch of the ESRI’s latest research into patterns of online and in-person gambling.
Nearly four in ten people who open an online account to bet on horses or sport go on to other forms of gambling, such as online casino games, slots and scratch cards, according to new research conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), commissioned by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI).
Findings include:
- More than three quarters of respondents, 77%, had gambled online during the previous year, while 59% had gambled in person. 44% had gambled both online and in person.
- Many people who opened an online account to bet on horses, sport or lotteries subsequently expanded into other forms of gambling, including online casino games, slots and scratch cards.
- Over half of gamblers (54%) who had opened an online account went on to open a second one, with good odds, easy registration and promotional offers among the most common reasons.
- Around 10% of online gamblers had four or more accounts.
- In their most recent session, 26% of online gamblers said they lost “a lot”, compared with 17% of in-person gamblers.
- One in seven respondents said their most recent online gambling session directly followed an email, app notification or gambling advertisement. Roughly 1 in 5 gamblers said they received notifications every day.
- Gambling displaced other parts of everyday life for some respondents, with one in five online gambling sessions interrupting another activity — work and family time being the most frequently reported.
- One in four respondents said they were trying to reduce their gambling or planned to do so. Of those already trying to cut back, one in three reported that they were gambling the same amount or more than they had one year earlier.
- Many gamblers said they found it easier to open an online account or to deposit money than to close an account or withdraw their winnings.
