Ireland-Facing Gambling Websites Allow Children to Gamble, Study Finds

Casino News Daily

Most gambling operators servicing Irish gamblers do not check gamblers’ age when a new account is being opened

Ireland-facing online gambling operators are allowing children to gamble on their websites without checking their age, The Times reports citing the findings of a recently conducted study.

A first of its kind in Ireland, the study was led by psychiatrist Colin O’Gara, head of addiction services at Saint John of God Hospital in Dublin. The results from the study were recently published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.

Professor O’Gara said that they have found few consumer protections are in place for Irish gamblers and that most of the companies, both local and international, do not include a proper age verification process when a new gambling account is being opened.

The study reviewed the 39 most popular gambling websites in Ireland. Its results showed that 37 of those sites did not require any proof of identity from customers to open an account with them and gamble. Professor O’Gara pointed out that practically everyone could thus register with a gambling website in Ireland, including children.

The study also reviewed what responsible gambling tools were in place and found that of all 17 Irish and 22 non-Irish websites surveyed, the Irish ones featured poorer protections for vulnerable customers.

Comments on the Study

Following the publication of the study’s findings, Fianna Fáil TD Jack Chambers said that the results came as “further evidence that strong regulation is urgently required.” The regulation of the Irish gambling market has been under discussion for over a decade now. In 2013, Fine Gael tabled the Gambling Control Bill aiming to introduce new regulations for the gambling sector, but little progress has been made toward its passage.

The legislative piece underwent parliamentary scrutiny in 2015 and is now under an interdepartmental review. Fianna Fáil later on presented its own bill that was largely based on the original piece.

In further comments, Mr. Chambers voiced criticism toward Junior Justice Minister David Stanton, who is responsible for the regulation of gambling in Ireland, saying that the minister should “stop being bullied” by the gambling sector and allow the gambling bill to move forward and thus “stop countless young lives from being destroyed by gambling addiction.” Mr. Chambers called gambling a “Wild West sector” that has been given the chance to spiral out of control by the government.

In separate comments on the state of gambling in Ireland, Barry Grant, Chief Executive of Problem Gambling Ireland, said that Irish children have clearly been able to register with gambling websites. According to the results from a survey commissioned by his charity, 67% of all interviewed secondary school students gambled in the past week.

Mr. Grant went on to say that most gambling websites did not require age verification, and even if they did, an ID was not requested until after 72 hours or after a child gambler tried to withdraw money from their gambling account.

The post Ireland-Facing Gambling Websites Allow Children to Gamble, Study Finds appeared first on Casino News Daily.

more info...