Fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs), once a major issue in the UK, never gained the same foothold in the Republic of Ireland—largely due to regulatory resistance. Unlike in Britain, where these machines were once ubiquitous in high street bookmakers, Ireland took a firmer stance. Following a 2008 government review that raised serious concerns, the Gambling Control Bill 2013 explicitly prohibited FOBTs in betting shops, citing their addictive nature and the risk of harm to vulnerable individuals.
While this has helped prevent widespread access to these machines in everyday locations, concerns about gambling addiction remain very real in Ireland. According to national research:
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47,000 people in Ireland are estimated to have a moderate or problematic gambling risk level.
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For every 1 person with a gambling problem, 6 people are adversely affected.
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Online gambling and gaming machines in private clubs continue to operate in legal grey areas, making harm reduction more difficult.
Gambling addiction is defined as a process addiction, or an addiction to a compulsive behavioural process. A combination of high stress, failing physical health, substance addiction, and running with dangerous crowds makes gambling addiction a fatal disease. The approach to treating gambling addiction needs to be SMART- which is how we approach it at Smarmore Castle. Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound skills are taught to gambling addicts while they receive gambling-specific cognitive behavioural therapy and gain a deeper understanding of the twelve steps of Gamblers Anonymous. In order to fully recover from gambling addiction, addicts need to:
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Understand their problem with gambling
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Find deeper meanings in life which replace the meaning created by gambling
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Learn skills for managing stress, cravings, and impulses
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Build positive self-esteem
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Develop communication for assertiveness
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Create responsible structures for financial management and handling a growing bank account
At Smarmore Castle Private Clinic, real change is possible for gambling addicts. Working with financial mentors and debt counsellors, our programmes help gambling addicts rebuild their lives, inside and out.
