Ban urged to protect children from cheap scratchcards

Researchers have called for a ban on €1 and €2 scratchcards as part of a package of measures aimed at reducing gambling-related harm among adults and children in Ireland.

The proposals are outlined in a paper published in the Irish Journal of Medical Science by academics from the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), Queen's University Belfast, the University of Limerick and University College Cork.

The researchers argue that many of the measures used successfully in tobacco and alcohol control should also be applied to gambling, including National Lottery products.

Among the recommendations are tighter restrictions on gambling advertising and point-of-sale marketing, mandatory health warnings on scratchcards and betting slips, plain packaging for scratchcards, stronger enforcement of gambling laws, higher gambling taxes, a retailer licence fee for National Lottery sales and raising the minimum gambling age from 18 to 21.

Lead author Dr Frank Houghton, Principal Investigator of the Tobacco, Alcohol and Gambling Research Group at TUS, said low-cost scratchcards were too easily accessible to children.

"If we learn from the achievements of tobacco control we can help protect both children and adults from becoming problem gamblers," he said.

"Cheap scratchcards are simply too easy for children to access. The gambling, tobacco and alcohol industries are all essentially addiction industries, and we should never forget that."

Prof Anne Campbell, emeritus professor of social work at Queen's University Belfast and a co-author of the paper, said scratchcards should be kept out of sight of children in the same way as tobacco products.

"It's time the scratchcards were put out of sight of children, just like tobacco," she said.

"All betting slips and scratchcards should also include clear warnings on the threats posed by gambling."

The researchers point to evidence suggesting underage access to lottery products remains an issue.

Test-purchasing research commissioned by the Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery found that almost 30% of retailers were willing to sell a lottery product to a child.

They also cite a recent Economic and Social Research Institute report which estimated that around 130,000 people in Ireland are problem gamblers, while a further 279,000 show moderate signs of problem gambling.

According to the paper, international evidence indicates that people who gamble before reaching the legal age are significantly more likely to experience gambling problems later in life.

The authors say a public health approach similar to those adopted in tobacco and alcohol control could help reduce gambling-related harm and better protect vulnerable groups, particularly children and young people.