GAA needs specific rule to tackle gambling, says Noel Treacy

The absence of a single gambling-preventative rule in the GAA’s Official Guide is totally unacceptable, according to Galway County Board chairman Noel Treacy.

In the wake of his address to Monday night’s Galway convention where he claimed that “gambling is now reaching crisis proportions in Gaelic games”, Treacy yesterday revealed that he has since been contacted by several parents from around the country whose sons have been caught up in gambling.

In calling on Croke Park to introduce rules and regulations to curb the growing practice of GAA players betting on games in which they are involved in, Treacy said top brass have a responsibility to protect its members.

“Since my comments on gambling entered the public domain, I have received a lot of calls from parents around the country which brought home to me that this is an issue in all of the provinces. It is a very serious, challenging issue and I am not sure if I have any solution. But I do have a responsibility, as do Croke Park,” he remarked.

“It is hard to believe in this day and age, that there are no rules pertaining to gambling in the Official Guide. The only rule in relation to gambling is 5.4 and that is that you cannot have a bookmaker on a GAA ground to take bets. There is rule 5.1 too which says that neither horse racing nor greyhound racing is allowed on a GAA field.

“We should have already come to the stage where gambling is addressed in the rulebook. I did not think it would be appropriate of me as chairman of Galway to have a motion on this at our County convention. I think it is a wider issue.”

Determined to put forward a proposal to Central Council in the new year, it is his intention to gather anecdotal evidence from people involved in the association who have suffered a gambling addiction which will form the basis of his submission.

“We have to review the Official Guide and the GAA’s role with regard to gambling and betting. It is totally disastrous for any young player or, indeed, his team that there is any kind of pressure on them, either by knowledge or otherwise, pertaining to gambling on matches they are playing in. I don’t think it is right.

“Most counties have set up a health and wellbeing committee. We have medics on that, as well as quasi health professionals and councillors. They are doing an outstanding job and they have been a major assistance to individuals who have been victims of this over the past two years. We must do more, though.

“I am going to try back up what I said on Monday. I wouldn’t put it on a public forum if I wasn’t prepared to do something about it. There is no point putting signals up into the sky and letting them off like a balloon.

“I would hope the GAA would put some structure in place in the new year to make sure that we are all working within a rule or rules that will reduce the chances of players betting on a game in which they are involved in.”

GPA sources last night confirmed the concerns expressed by Treacy.

“This is a drum we have been beating for a long time now in terms of players presenting on the growing issue of problem-gambling within the playing body.”

Last year’s Galway U21 hurling manager Johnny Kelly, meanwhile, has pulled out of the running to replace Anthony Cunningham as the county’s senior manager.

Kelly, who led Portumna to All-Ireland club glory and Coolderry to this year’s Offaly title, says he thinks the Galway job needs a different man than himself at this point in time, but that he wishes the new manager all the best.

“For me I’m probably more suited to a coaching role than management. It’s a very different role and that’s what needed in Galway,” said Kelly.