Irish Labour Party calls for full ban on gambling ads
Senator Mark Wall urges government to follow Belgium's example and ban all gambling ads, citing high addiction rates among young people
The Irish Labour Party has called for a total ban on gambling advertising in the country. Senator Mark Wall, the party's sports spokesperson, has asked the Irish government to adopt Labour's proposed legislation, which seeks to ban all gambling advertising, including in sports.
The government’s new gambling control bill is set to impose a ban on all gambling advertising between 5.30am and 9pm, but Wall is pushing for more ambitious regulation. He cited Belgium's recent move to ban gambling ads as an example.
Research conducted by the ESRI found that 9.3% of people aged 17-20 had taken part in online gambling and 7.2% were "regularly" gambling. The Irish president and the Gaelic Athletic Association have expressed support for a ban on gambling ads.