A first-of-its-kind service to support women experiencing gambling harm has been established.
Statistics suggest a disproportionately low number of women seek help for problem gambling.
The EmpowerHer Recovery Network is a confidential, free service where women can speak about their experiences and seek support without “fear or judgement”.
“There is so much stigma around gambling because many people don’t understand how this can be addictive behaviour,” project lead Claire Donegan said.
“Women are often afraid to come forward and admit that they are struggling because they are fearful of how they will be judged by others. My hope is that by providing this free, safe space, we can help to break down barriers and provide women with the motivation they need to take that first step towards recovery.”
Research from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has suggested 2.9% of the female population in Ireland is affected by harmful gambling. This figure has risen tenfold since 2019.
Extern Problem Gambling, which is launching the EmpowerHer service, said this “alarming rise” underscored the need for female-specific support services, with women remaining “significantly underrepresented” in current treatment and support networks.
The network, which it said is designed and delivered by people with lived experience of problem gambling, provides a range of services.
This includes one-to-one peer coaching, a recovery toolkit, network group meetings and confidential spaces.
Separately, Extern said it had also released a new season of its problem gambling podcast focusing on the stories of women whose lives have been affected by problem gambling.
Counsellor Barry Grant said: “This new service is badly needed in Ireland, in order to reduce stigma around women who experience harm from their own gambling — and to encourage help-seeking.
“Help-seeking by women in Ireland has always been at disproportionately low rates. Currently, only 10% of people who access our counselling service, to work on their own recovery, are women, while recent research from the ESRI found that over 45% of people with gambling problems in Ireland are women.
The ESRI research published late last year suggested one in 10 adults in Ireland are now either problem gamblers or report gambling has caused multiple problems in their lives.
Even at this, ESRI researchers said “we still may be underestimating the true prevalence” of problem gambling, and this has “serious implications for understanding the role that gambling plays in Irish life”.
Minister of State for Justice James Browne has indicated the long-awaited laws to regulate the gambling industry in Ireland are expected to be passed in the autumn, before the next general election.
The legislation will see the establishment of the country’s first ever gambling regulator, almost 20 years on from when a similar body was established in the UK. Advocates say such a regulator is badly needed to protect the public, particularly children, from harms associated with gambling in Ireland.
Under the legislation, gambling companies that breach the law could face substantial fines of up to €20m, or 10%, of their turnover if they breach the rules.