'Gambling epidemic' needs urgent action say NI charities
- Published
Mr McCall first began gambling when he was teenager
Tighter regulations around gambling need to be introduced in Northern Ireland, a recovering addict has said.
Joseph McCall began playing slot machines in bars and taxi depots when he was 14 years old.
He spoke about his experience after NI gambling charities wrote to delegates at a gaming conference being held at the Culloden Hotel in County Down.
The 40th annual International Gaming Summit is aimed at discussing important issues facing the industry.
It's run by the International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA).
Six charities, which help to combat gambling addiction, penned an open letter to IAGA delegates describing Northern Ireland as being in the "grip" of an epidemic.
Poverty, drink and drugs
It said gambling addiction in Northern Ireland was four times higher than in Great Britain and three times higher than in the Republic of Ireland.
It claimed the absence of a functioning Stormont Executive meant people with a gambling addiction would "continue to pay a heavy price" and called on the gaming industry to step in.
"There are simply no rules here governing online gambling, while those that relate to the highly addictive electronic gaming machines are out-dated and are neither properly adhered to nor enforced," the letter stated.
The charities urged summit attendees to impress upon politicians that regulation was needed to "stop the spread of this deadly epidemic".
Gambling laws are a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and Mr McCall said legislation was needed to introduce overall betting limits to help addicts.
"I can go and do a £10,000 bet, that could be my yearly salary and what do you live on the rest of your life? What do you live on the rest of the year?" he said.
"You end up in poverty. It leads you to drink problems, it leads you to drug problems. It's ridiculous to be honest."
Matt Zarb-Cousin was due to address the summit about gambling
Mr McCall, who runs a support group, said his gambling issues started as a child and his life had been a struggle.
He said blackjack and roulette machines were his "downfall".
"When I turned 16, I was hanging outside bookies. No one really asks you for ID down in the bookies and that became my life," he told BBC News NI.
"My whole friend group we more or less lived in the bookies. As soon as we got out of school we were in there until the doors shut at night."
Director of Clean Up Gambling, Matt Zarb-Cousin, is a panellist at the IAGA summit and said he was invited to "help delegates understand that the consequences of gambling extend beyond monetary losses".
He told BBC News NI that a gambling regulator would help to protect consumers.
In Northern Ireland, there is no upper limit to what can be spent on an online bet.
"That level of consumer protection isn't there, so gambling operators have moved into this space, into this jurisdiction, and capitalised on that," he said.
"That really shouldn't be happening."
The most recent survey on gambling prevalence was conducted in 2016 and it suggested there were about 40,000 problem gamblers in Northern Ireland - the highest rate in the UK per head of the population.
The Department for Communities carried out a 10-week consultation on gambling laws between December 2019 and February 2020.
It found there was "strong support" for the creation of an independent gambling regulator for Northern Ireland.
The Department for Communities said a previous consultation on gambling reform had resulted in new changes to premises-based gambling
However, no further changes could be approved in the absence of a functioning Northern Ireland Assembly, it added.
The BBC has contacted the IAGA for comment.
What are the current laws in NI?
The current laws contained in the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order date back to 1985
Courts and councils license gambling activities, the Department for Communities is responsible for track betting licences and enforcement lies with the police
The 1985 order predates the development of the internet and therefore contains no provisions relating to online gambling
NI consumers are offered some protection through laws in Great Britain
There are also no provisions requiring the gambling industry in NI to make any contribution to funding support services for problem gambling
NI laws were last updated in 2022 to allow for extended opening hours for bookmakers and bingo halls
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