NEW RESEARCH HAS shown that people who gambled as children are almost twice as likely to suffer from problem gambling when they become adults.

Problem gambling is also higher among people whose parents gambled, as well as for those whose parents had positive attitudes towards gambling.

“Problem gambling” refers to gambling which disrupts and damages a person’s life, with negative impacts on their finances, wellbeing and social circles.

The new ESRI research, commissioned by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, gathered anonymous online responses from a nationally representative sample of more than 1,600 adults.

The researchers compared current gambling behaviour with childhood experiences.

Around two-in-three of the 1,600 people surveyed had engaged in at least some form of gambling when under 18 years old and those who gambled as children were almost twice as likely to suffer from problem gambling as adults.

The most common forms of underage gambling were slot machines, scratch cards, horse or dog betting, gambling amongst friends, bingo and lotteries.

Meanwhile, having a parent who gambled increased the likelihood of problem gambling by a third, while positive parental attitudes towards gambling had a similar effect.

The research also found that those whose parents had more positive attitudes toward gambling were significantly more likely to have gambled in the past month, while those with a university degree or born abroad were less likely to have gambled.

Elsewhere, people who both gambled as children and had a parent who gambled a lot were four times more likely to suffer from problem gambling.

However, for those aged under 40, the link between parental gambling and adult problem gambling was weaker.

The report’s authors said this may reflect the younger generation’s “greater exposure to online gambling and marketing, whereas the older generation’s exposure occurred mostly at home”.

Of those surveyed, close to one-in-five (17%) exhibited some evidence of problem gambling while one-in-25 were problem gamblers.

The report’s authors said the findings “reinforce the growing body of evidence linking childhood gambling experiences and problem gambling in adulthood”.

The authors added that this “supports regulatory measures to minimize the exposure of children to gambling”, such as better age checks and regulation of products that appeal to children.

Dr Frank Houghton, Principal Investigator of the Tobacco, Alcohol & Gambling Research Group at the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), told The Journal that “many people under-estimate the harms caused by gambling”.

“As a society, we used to similarly underestimate the negative impacts of tobacco and alcohol,” said Houghton.

“However, the harms caused by gambling can extend not only across the life course, but intergenerationally as well.

“In addition to the financial harms, there can be significant negative impacts on emotional and psychological wellbeing.

“These in turn impact physical health. Other adverse outcomes can include relationship breakdown, criminal activity and job loss.”

Meanwhile, he remarked that the findings are “important, but not surprising”.

“International evidence clearly indicates that people that start gambling as children are more likely than their peers to become problem gamblers in later life,” said Houghton.

“This research provides convincing evidence of this life-changing trajectory for Irish children.”