The EmpowerHer Recovery Network seeks to combat the stigma around problem gambling among women in Ireland. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Gambling stigma keeps women from help

Due to the stigma around gambling, a disproportionately low number of women pursue help for gambling problems. To get around that stigma, Ireland’s EmpowerHer Recovery Network is offering a confidential, free, first-of-its-kind service to speak without “fear or judgement” about the problems that led women to seek help.

Project lead Claire Donegan said that many women don’t come forward because they’re afraid of how they will be perceived for their gambling problems. She said: “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 shows a surge the number of women in Ireland affected by harmful gambling

Research from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) casts a shadow over the prominence of the problem. The research shows a surge in the number of women in Ireland affected by harmful gambling, with their numbers climbing tenfold since 2019 to a high of 2.9% of the population. Despite the rising numbers of female problem gamblers, the number of women represented in current treatment and support networks remains disproportionately low.

Network offers variety of services

The Extern Problem Gambling network—the organization behind the EmpowerHer service—is providing a diverse offering of services to combat problem gambling among women. The network’s services include one-to-one peer coaching, a recovery toolkit, network group meetings, and confidential spaces. To combat the sense of isolation, the network has also released a new season of podcast stories centered around women “whose lives have been affected by problem gambling.”

Help-seeking by women in Ireland has always been at disproportionately low rates.

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 counsellng 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.”

Research underscores rate of problem gambling

The ESRI research, published in late 2023, underscores the rate of problem gambling among not just women but the general population. Their research indicates that one in ten adults in Ireland suffer from problem gambling. ESRI researchers said: “We still may be underestimating the true prevalence, [which has] serious implications for understanding the role that gambling plays in Irish life.”

If Minister of State Justice James Browne has his way, this autumn will see the passage of a series of long-awaited laws to regulate the gambling industry in Ireland before the next general election.

rising numbers in problem gambling foreshadow how bad the problem could get

Twenty years ago, a similar gambling regulator was established in the UK, but the rising numbers in problem gambling foreshadow how bad the problem could get if further measures are not taken. Advocates suggest that without a newly appointed regulator, the harm from problem gambling in Ireland will only get worse for the public, particularly children.