The Northern Irish legislative assembly is to debate a cross-party motion on gambling-related harm in the country.
The motion, titled ‘Supporting a Public Health Approach to Tackling Gambling-Related Harms’, was tabled by the All-Party Group (APG) on Reducing Harm Related to Gambling.
The filing believes that ‘gambling should be officially recognized as a public health issue in Northern Ireland’, and suggests policies should incorporate population-based approaches that prioritize harm prevention in line with the public health approach adopted for both tobacco and alcohol. The APG urges the Minister of Health to address the ‘unmet need’ within the healthcare system in Northern Ireland by commissioning statutory services for those who suffer from gambling disorders.
Additionally, it calls for the ‘urgent need’ to protect children, and those already experiencing gambling-related harm from gambling adjacent marketing, which it describes as ‘both targeted and pervasive’. The All-Party Group points to sports broadcasts and social media as particularly threatening.
Philip McGuigan MLA, Chair of the APG, said, “Adopting a public health approach means treating gambling in a similar way to alcohol and tobacco, with policies that focus not just on individual-level harms but also on population-based approaches that prioritise harm prevention. This is because, as with other legal addictive products, the whole population is vulnerable to gambling addiction and harm.”
The APG’s report published in June 2024 collated data over 13 months and made over 55 recommendations for improved public health relating specifically to gambling harms.
This follows publication of a report with almost 60 recommendations from the findings of a year-long inquiry by the All Party Group (APG) into public health approaches to tackling gambling related harms in Northern Ireland.
A UK-wide push for public health action
Pressure is also mounting more broadly in the United Kingdom, following the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s recommendations that GPs and social care practitioners should ask patients for information surrounding their gambling activity.
The proposals, similar to the Northern Irish APG’s motion, would see gambling addiction screening aligned with checks for potential harm from smoking and alcohol consumption.
Baroness Fiona Twycross, Minister for Gambling, welcomed NICE’s guidelines, stating, “This guidance will support those experiencing harmful gambling to get access to the right support. We know that clinical treatment is not necessarily right for everyone, but it is important that there is a full spectrum of support as we strengthen treatment options.”
Baroness Twycross continued, “The Government’s plans to introduce a statutory levy, which will generate £100 million each year, will provide the investment needed to further expand the support and treatment on offer for those in need.”
