The cross-party group on reducing gambling harm at the Stormont Assembly is urging the UK government to limit gambling advertisements in Northern Ireland.
This bipartisan group was established to address issues related to gambling harm within the Northern Irish community, and includes representatives from Sinn Féin, the Ulster Unionist Party, the Alliance Party, the Democratic Unionist Party, and the Social Democratic and Labour Party.
The organization has written to Lisa Nandy, the Irish Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, highlighting recent legislation passed in Ireland, as well as recent studies on the subject of gambling advertisements.
In Ireland, the long-awaited Gambling Regulation Act was passed last month, which includes restrictions on gambling advertisements, such as prohibiting ads from being broadcast between 5:30 AM and 9 PM, establishing the Irish Gambling Regulatory Authority Údarás Rialála Cearrbhachais na hÉireann, and banning inducements, among other areas covered by the act.
Good news: The Irish Gambling Regulatory Authority is expected to start phasing in by mid-2025
The letter mentions the recent advertising restrictions implemented in Ireland and notes that similar advertising restrictions in Northern Ireland would benefit "Northern Ireland, the UK, and the broader Irish audience that watches British television."
The letter also points out that this region "is the only jurisdiction on these islands that has not updated its gambling legislation since the advent of the internet."
Additionally, it cites a recent cross-border report released by Maynooth University in County Kildare, Ireland, and Ulster University, which highlights the exposure of young people to gambling marketing on television sports programs and social media.
Although the organization acknowledges that "our executive does not have sufficient legislative time under the current parliamentary mandate to advance a gambling bill," it states in the letter to Nandy that "we urge you to use your existing powers to immediately take action to limit gambling promotion in the UK and reduce the harm caused by gambling on these islands."
Similar news today includes the Australian government delaying plans to restrict gambling advertisements, but no specific timetable for progress has been set.
