Larne representative tells council meeting about ‘child with £2,000 gaming machines debt’

Up to 40,000 people in Northern Ireland may have a gambling problem, according to a submission by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to a public consultation on the regulation of gambling in Northern Ireland.
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Northern Ireland is said to have the highest incidence of problem gambling in the United Kingdom.

It is reportedly four times higher than any other region in the United Kingdom and three times higher than the Republic of Ireland.

The council has described current legislation as “outdated, deeply flawed and needs urgent review”.

A consultation is taking place into the effects of gambling.A consultation is taking place into the effects of gambling.
A consultation is taking place into the effects of gambling.

It has suggested that “lack of regulated provision” may result in gambling in Northern Ireland being used as an “income stream for paramilitaries”.

The council believes that no advertising by the industry should target under 18s or families with children and amusement arcades, licensed by councils, should remain “within current restrictions”.

The Gambling Commission, a UK body,  has reported that children as young as 11 years have “problems” with gambling and as many as 500,000 children have admitted to betting regularly.

The council says it “supports the view that there is a link between gambling and gaming”.

The local authority has also expressed concern at the growth of online gambling in recent years and wants to see greater controls introduced.

In 2016, the Department for Communities found that 15.8 per cent who gambled in Northern Ireland did so online compared to 6.7 per cent in 2010.

The local authority says it would be “keen to see a significant increase” in financial support from the gambling industry for services tackling problem gambling in Northern Ireland and a statutory levy should be imposed through legislation.

Speaking at a meeting of Mid and East Antrim Council on Monday evening, Ulster Unionist Larne Lough Councillor Keith Turner commented that online gambling is “driving people into poverty and harming their mental well-being”.

He stated that “more should be done regarding age checks with participants allowed to proceed after a credit check”.

Larne Lough DUP Alderman Paul Reid, who is minister of the Old Presbyterian Church of Larne and Kilwaughter,  told the meeting he has heard of a child who has run up a debt of more than £2,000 on gaming machines.

“Reading the report actually scares you. Forty thousand people have a gambling problem in Northern Ireland,” he said. “We need to do something to protect the vulnerable in our society especially the young people who are running up debts.”

He went on to say gambling affects “every walk of life”.

“We can’t be like ostriches. This will not go away. We need to do something and do it fast. We know the devastation that gambling can bring into homes, families and especially children.”

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter

Read a previous gambling-related story here

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