One in Seven Irish Gamblers Played Under the Influence of Operator Messages and Ads

Research published on Wednesday by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) was based on 1,000 adults who gambled last year. According to the study, frequent operator messages and some events played a role in participants' decisions to gamble. The sample was drawn from an existing online panel rather than through probability selection.

Four in five participants had an online betting account. Of account holders, 53% had more than one account. Across the whole sample, 44% said they gambled both online and in person. Of those who first opened an account for horse racing, sports or lottery, 38% later used that account for other products such as casino games, slots, bingo or scratch cards.

Operator communication was also common. About two-thirds of account holders said they received emails, 52% received app notifications, and 16% received text messages. Among those who received app alerts, roughly one in four said they got them once a day or more often.

About one in seven participants said their most recent online session followed an email, notification or betting advert. Other factors included reminders of upcoming events, sports viewing, boredom and stress. Of recent sessions, 16.4% were linked to boredom or stress, and 5.6% to an attempt to recover previous losses.

Of those who made deposits last year, 70% said depositing was very easy. The share who agreed that withdrawing winnings was easy was 57%. Nearly one in five people who closed their account said the process was difficult.