Calls are mounting for policymakers to rethink Northern Ireland’s problem gambling support infrastructure amid a huge revamp taking place in the rest of the UK.
During a recent roundtable of the Assembly All Party Group on Reducing Harm Related to Gambling (APPG RHRG), Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) convened with various healthcare experts and Stormont officials to assess how Northern Ireland plans to address problem gambling.
Among the most prominent topics of discussion was the gap in problem gambling support when compared to other parts of the UK – with England home to 15 specialised problem gambling support hubs, and a specialised problem gambling treatment service due to launch in Wales later this week.
There are also no NHS clinics in Scotland, though this could soon change as Public Health Scotland and a major NHS body are set to receive millions in statutory levy funding. However, Northern Ireland is yet to implement any such measures, with no specialised centres that offer multidisciplinary care for problem gambling available across the country.
Calls for a revised approach to gambling harm services come at a time when pressure is ramping up to label problem gambling in Northern Ireland as a national public health concern. It is estimated that 3% of the adult population are considered at-risk gamblers by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency based on the PGSI score.
What was mostly highlighted was the lack of a coherent support structure to meaningfully support victims of gambling harm, and the stark difference to other parts of the UK where specialised clinics exist manned by an appropriate expert workforce to take in and treat patients.
Calls for a revised approach to gambling harm services come at a time when pressure is ramping up to label gambling in Northern Ireland as a national public health concern. It is estimated 3% of the adult population are considered at-risk gamblers by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency based on the PGSI score.
As reported by local outlet Business First, Philip McGuigan MLA, Chair of All Party Group on Reducing Harm Related to Gambling and Chair of Stormont’s Committee for Health, commented: “The All Party Group has consistently called for gambling to be treated as a public health priority, with cross-party support reinforced by an Assembly motion passed in January 2025.
“Central to these proposals is the introduction of an industry-funded levy on gambling operators. While legislation exists to introduce a levy on land-based operators here, implementation remains at an early stage and would not apply to online gambling companies due to outdated regulatory frameworks.
“This contrasts with Britain, where a statutory levy introduced in April 2025 is expected to raise nearly £120m annually. Funds are allocated to research (20%), prevention (30%), and treatment (50%).”
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In 2025, a research paper conducted by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) produced a list of guidelines that the government should aim to implement, including the introduction of new problem harm levy, which were then also endorsed by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland itself.
However, the resulting consensus was that the full adoption of the recommendations would incur high costs and a complete reimagining of the domestic gambling framework, which would require a significant investment from government funding.
Neighbouring England, Wales, and Scotland implemented a statutory Research, Education, and Treatment (RET) levy last year, mandated by the 2005 Gambling Act Review White Paper and diverting a percentage of operators’ gross gambling yield (GGY) to fund treatment services.
However, since Northern Ireland has its own gambling regulations, the creation of such a levy falls fully within the hands of the Northern Ireland Executive.
McGuigan concluded: “Online gambling companies do not pay a levy on bets taken in the North, despite these companies being able to advertise and operate in the region if licensed in Britain. As a result, they are effectively operating in an unregulated market locally without contributing to harm reduction services.
“This is funding that could transform support for individuals and families affected by gambling harms. But there is currently no guarantee it will be allocated to the north.”Northern Irish policymakers may want to question whether a statutory levy, specifically one following the model adopted in other parts of the UK, is entirely appropriate.”
The new model has had some negative feedback from the likes of the Gambling Lived Experience Network , for example, and the DCMS has made a transition grant available to ease the process for the voluntary sector.
