The GRAI over the past number of months has been assisting and consulting with the Union of Students in Ireland on the 2025 National Student Survey. This is a very important piece of work and the results of the survey will inform policy for the students union and the regulator. Researchers at Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn (formerly Union of Students Ireland -USI) and the School of Biomedical Sciences at Ulster University have developed this online survey to investigate gambling behaviours, drug use, and mental health in third level students on the Island of Ireland. The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and consists of the following sections: a demographics section, a section on gambling behaviour, a section on drug use, and a section on mental health. Ethical approval has been granted by the School of Biomedical Sciences Ethics Filter Committee at Ulster University. This study is completely anonymous. There is an optional prize draw to thank you for your participation. If you would like to be included in that draw, you will be given the option to be taken to a different website at the end of the survey to enter your details to ensure that the information you provide in the survey remains anonymous.You can take part in the survey here

This report represents the findings of a national stakeholder consultation commissioned by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) in partnership with Pobal, to inform the strategic direction of the new Social Impact Fund. The fund represents a critical opportunity to deliver a coordinated, system level response to gambling-related harm in Ireland and to address the longstanding gaps in prevention, treatment and recovery supports.This consultation marks the first stage in the development of the fund’s investment strategy. Its purpose was to identify priority areas for action drawing on the lived, professional and organisational experiences of those most directly affected by or working to address gambling harm.A broader public consultation, including input on the structure of the statutory annual contribution from licensed gambling operators will follow. The findings presented here reflect the views and insights of consultation participants and do not represent prevalence data or formal evaluations. Recognising the escalating scale and complexity of gambling-related harm in Ireland, the consultation was designed to provide a grounded, context specific needs analysis. Five tailored stakeholder questionnaires were completed by 162 respondents and five focus group workshops engaged 54 participants across key sectors. These included individuals with lived experience of gambling addiction, affected family members, gambling counsellors, residential and community-based treatment providers, NGOs and academic researchers. This mixed-methods approach generated rich qualitative insights to inform the national strategy. Findings across all groups highlight a strong consensus that while valuable work is underway, the national response to gambling harm remains limited in scale, inconsistently coordinated and marked by service and policy gaps. The absence of a dedicated national framework and unified referral pathways were recurring concerns. Participants viewed the Social Impact Fund as a foundational mechanism to strengthen infrastructure, address service gaps and invest in sustainable responses.Read the full report: here

The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland is pleased to learn that PTSB, one of Ireland's biggest retail banks has announced that they will now offer a digital voluntary block for customers who wish to stop card transactions involving gambling.On welcoming the announcement of the initiative , CEO of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, Anne Marie Caulfield said: ‘’We very much welcome PTSB’s introduction of an in-app gambling block, this represents a proactive and valuable Consumer Protection measure  helping to reduce the risk of gambling -related harms.’’The Gambling Regulator has had engagement with the Irish Banking Culture Board, the Irish Banking and Payments Federation and individual banks over the past number of months to encourage as many financial institutions as possible to offer these blocking facilities as a consumer protection measure for their customers suffering from gambling harm or who wish to take a break from gambling.This means that PTSB now join Bank of Ireland, AIB, EBS and Revolut in offering their customers a gambling blocking facility. The GRAI offers practical advice on ways in which to limit exposure to gambling including bank blocking, gambling blocking software and limiting advertising online, available on our website here.Many Gambling operators also offer exclusion systems for their customers that want to step back from gambling. Following the establishment of the GRAI in March, we are now working on the design and development of the National Gambling Exclusion Register, so that it will be operational as soon as possible following the commencement of our licensing function. The obligation on online operators to interact with the register is set out in the Act. We will also continue to work with stakeholders to build on these initiatives and ensure greater support and guidance is in place for those that need them. For more information on Gambling Safety please click hereFor the full PTSB announcements please click   here