The Information Needs of Individuals Affected by Harmful Gambling in Ireland

Abstract

Harmful gambling is an addiction issue that negatively affects not only gambling participants but also their families and friends. Ireland is estimated to be one of the top countries in the world for levels of gambling; however, legislation and social policy lag behind measures in other countries. This paper reports findings related to information seeking and provision from the first national study of the social impact of harmful gambling in Ireland. In-depth interviews were conducted with addiction counsellors, recovering gamblers, and gamblers’ social connections to explore their perceptions of availability of information and services to address this public health issue. In addition to calling for revised regulatory and policy development to support formal channels of information and service provision to facilitate individual recovery, participants believed initiatives around providing information and educating the public about the potential personal and social risks associated with gambling would help protect those vulnerable to harm from gambling. Critically, participants identified a need for information to facilitate well-being as central to addressing this issue.