Free bets used to draw young people into gambling, Labour says

Calls have been made to ban free bets which are being used to draw young people into gambling.

Free bets are being used to draw young people into gambling and must be banned, the Labour party have said.

Labour also want to block gambling advertisements and believe the focus should be on the success of jockeys like Rachael Blackmore and not on betting.

Research carried out by the party has found that almost three quarters (73.5%) of Irish people know a problem gambler.

Almost two thirds of people surveyed said ads acted as a catalyst to gamble or place a bet. Labour leader Alan Kelly said there is an urgent need to end the gambling industry’s control in Ireland and end this "manipulation".

Labour senator Mark Wall said the story of this year's Cheltenham Festival is the success of Tipperary jockey Rachael Blackmore.

Mr Kelly said targeted free bets are now being given to keep people on gambling apps and websites when they empty their account or lose money, he said this practice should be banned.

Labour senator Mark Wall said free bets are also being used to introduce teenagers to gambling.

"Free bets should be banned because that's the tool that the marketing companies and the gambling companies are using at the moment.

"A lot of young people are being targeted by this, and 15 to 16 and 17 year olds are actually gambling with these companies. 

They're being targeted through a free bet, the first interaction with them is actually a free bet.

"So the first thing that should be done is free bets should be cancelled. It's an introduction to gambling and can lead to gambling problems."

A quarter of people who took part in the survey said they bet at least once a month, while 7.4% said they gamble over ten times a month.

Almost three quarters of the 1,170 people questioned said they have noticed an increase in gambling advertising recently

Mr Wall, who is introducing a Bill to prohibit gambling advertisements said: “This week has been very hard for anyone with an issue as we’ve been bombarded online and in the media with gambling ads in the run up to Cheltenham. It’s clear that the industry is using lock down and social isolation as an opportunity to exploit those who may have a problem."

Mr Wall said the story of the week is the success of Tipperary jockey Rachael Blackmore, who made history at the start of the week when she became the first female jockey to win the Champion Hurdle on Honeysuckle and earned the festival winning jockey title today.

That's the sports story this week and that's what we should be talking about, a woman that's broken barriers in relation to racing.

"It shouldn't be about betting or shouldn't be about gambling. It's the biggest sports story of the year and probably one of the biggest sports stories of the last number of years," he said.