Gambling in Ireland: A Former Insider's Perspective

Gambling is something that is socially accepted in Ireland. People turn a blind eye to it and say: "what harm will it do?".  I've worked in the betting industry, in total, on and off, for about 13 years. 

When I started working in betting shops in the late 80's, betting shops were not what they are like today.  Gambling was not sexy back then - smoke filled dingy little places where old men hung out, that was the perception. 

Gambling was a problem then, with people addicted, but it's not anywhere on the scale it is today, with online gambling and  smartphone gambling 24/7, you can now bet on anything you like in any country you like.  Lottery is another form of gambling, but we call that harmless fun. 

Having continued to work through the 90's in betting shops, changes were happening as the shops became more plush, but still nothing in comparison to today.   I left the betting industry in 1998 and went back in 2010 -  and what a difference in 12 years. They now opened 7 days a week and up until 9:30 pm, when evening racing was on (excluding Sundays) and with it came wall to wall betting opportunities. I left the business in 2011 and have never returned.  Now they open all year round even if there is no evening racing. 

In the year and a half that I was back working in it, something had changed for the worse.  We were constantly told to get the punters to bet and bet and bet, with this special and that special. It was like a pub making sure the people drank and drank. Pressure is put on staff to maximize profits at the expense of the punter and if you don't play ball you are out the door. We were told to push virtual racing and lottery as everything is stacked in their favour. 

Over the years I've seen people losing their wages, their dole and with wives or husbands coming into the shop looking for the money that their partner had blown. Seeing children shouting: "dad, dad, stop - mammy needs the money". But the betting industry don't care as long as the profits keep rising. The bigger the profit for the industry, means that lots of people are suffering. 

As I said earlier, gambling today is a huge problem.  You can now bet on your phone using invisible (or so it seems) money. The recent advertisement of Horse Racing Ireland is, for me, a disgrace - where they  say: "go to the races - as nothing else feels like it".  Children are allowed to gamble at the course on the tote.  That should be illegal, as it get's them at an early age and that's what they want.*

The lottery is also dangerous and it's not fun.  Try tell that to family who can't put food on the table because one of their parents has spent all of their money on scratch cards. 

The legislation of gambling in this country is weak, to say the least, as the industry is given a free hand. I've seen first hand what gambling does to people's lives and the sooner we wake up and see the  destruction gambling does, the better. 

[We would like to thank the author for this powerful account of life behind the bookmaker's counter.  The author has asked to remain anonymous.  We have confirmed that the author worked in the gambling industry during the periods referred to in this post]

*Editor's note:  Legislation is due to be enacted this year, to end the practice of people under the age of 18 being able to bet at the Tote.  At the time of writing, children from the age of 7 are permitted to place bets at state-funded race courses.    ​