Clothing and casinos fuel monthly rise in card spending 

Figures from the Central Bank of Ireland show spending on betting and casino gambling has risen by 20% annually 

The main merchant contributing to the rise in entertainment spending was betting and casino gambling, the regulator said, which increased by more than 11% compared to the previous month.

A surge in gambling and clothes shopping saw total card spending in October rise by over 4% on a monthly basis.

New figures released by the Central Bank of Ireland show total card spending rose to €9.85bn in October, with the volume of monthly card transactions increasing by more than 6%.