Safer gambling in Ireland: warning signs, tools and where to get help

Signs that gambling is causing harm

Harm rarely starts with one large loss. More often it shows first as a change in habits that is easy to explain away. Some common signs:

• Betting more, or more often, to get the same feeling.
• Chasing losses: placing another bet to win back the last one.
• Spending money meant for rent, bills or food, or borrowing to bet.
• Hiding bets, accounts or amounts from family or friends.
• Feeling restless or irritable when trying to cut down.
• Losing sleep, missing work or college, or thinking about betting most of the day.

One sign on its own does not mean a problem. Two or three together, over weeks, are worth a conversation with one of the services below. Most of them are free.

What licensed operators must do now

Since parts of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 commenced, some protections apply to every GRAI licensee. Status as of 11.11.2026:

In practice: set a limit when you open an account, not after a bad week. Decide the amount per week or month that you can lose without it touching anything else, and set that, not a larger one "just in case".

What is not live yet

Two other parts of the Act are also not commenced: the advertising rules (including the TV and radio watershed of 5:30am to 9pm and opt-in for social media marketing) and the ban on inducements such as free bets offered to entice gambling. Until they commence, you may still see betting adverts and free bet offers.

If it is someone close to you

You cannot set limits on another adult's account, but you can protect your own money. Keep shared finances separate for a while, and avoid paying off someone's gambling debts without a plan agreed first. Calling one of the services below on your own behalf is a reasonable first step.

Things you can do today

• Set a deposit limit with every operator you use, and keep it lower than you think you need.
• Use one account rather than several; it makes the total easier to see.
• Ask your bank whether it offers a block on gambling transactions.
• Write down what you spent each week. A number on paper is harder to argue with.
• Close accounts you no longer want, rather than leaving them dormant.

Where to get help

The services below are listed on the GRAI "Get help" page (read 11.11.2026). Where the GRAI page gives no hours, check the service's website.

The full list from the regulator is at grai.ie - Get help. If debt is part of the problem, MABS can help you plan repayments whether or not you have stopped betting.

How these rules came in, and which parts are still waiting, is set out in Irish gambling law.