GAA have banned all sponsorship from betting companies

OldMrBrennan83

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OldMrBrennan83

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mdwexford

Sofiztikated wrote: »

So if it's a major problem, for a lot of people, why should we not take any action to reduce it? Bear in mind, OT was GAA sponsorship. An organisation that inhabits all regions of Ireland, which has access to children of all ages. This isn't about taking Paddy Power of the billboards around Croker, and suddenly Seamie, a 57 year old labourer who spends his paycheck on a Friday in the bookies, will suddenly stop gambling. It's about reducing the correlation between GAA and gambling, so that future Seamies don't get trapped in the same mindset.



True. But no harm to reduce the amount of "some."



Ah gotcha. I figured it was something like that. As I mentioned before, I have no interest in it, but I can get why people like it.



True.



Do you not think that this signifies a bit of an issue that could be addressed? And that's kinda the issue I was trying to highlight about pointing out your Waiting for Cheltanham location. For the majority, horseracing = bookies. I doubt the GAA want their organisation and/or sport to be synonymous with gambling. Which do you think is better, "Jaysis, did you see that last minute point in the Castlerahan and Gowna match? *Insert whatever sporting terms here, and something about heart and conviction*" or "11/2, **** let me down."

I'm all for people being educated on the subject and being made aware of the dangers of gambling above your means.

I don't believe gambling should be a taboo subject which eventually might get banned here altogether. Already people here have compared it to smoking and heroin!! Ridiculous in my opinion.

Horse racing of course is the main gambling sport. I certainly wouldn't want my kids hanging out in a bookies all day. I have no interest in that myself. Much rather be at home watching it and backing online if I want to bet.

That will never happen with another mainstream sport though. I mean snooker and darts have their world championships sponsored by Betfred and William Hill respectively and while you can place a bet live at the event it certainly doesn't revolve around it.

mdwexford

leggo wrote: »

I'd flip that relativity back and say that €200 in a week is equivalent to a chunk of, say, someone's mortgage/rent, or more than a lot of people's electricity, or phone bill, or TV bill for the month. More than many would spend on the weekly shop to feed themselves. These are all essentials. Personally I'd earn a normal wage and be doing grand financially, but still €5 per week would tend to be my max (aside from the odd same few outrights I'd do every year) because it's loose change in my pocket and ticks the box of keeping me interested in the sports I like. But look, I'm not going to harp onto you. Whether or not this is something this is relevant to you is your business and it's your life ultimately. Again, I just find it interesting that the people who seem most dedicated to sports gambling are the people who get defensive when people talk about the negatives that very much exist.

But that's immaterial to me.

Once my bills are paid for the week and food etc purchased the rest of my money is my own to do with as I see fit. Whether that's alcohol, clothes, savings or some other form of entertainment is up to me.

If I have €200 per week to blow then it's not going to hurt me too much if I lose it all. I'll have another €200 the following week.

NickNickleby

Patww79 wrote: »

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When I was a kid, someone (a 10 year old 'wide boy' ), introduce me and other boys in the school to a gambling game in the school yard. In a few days, I was losing my lunch money to him. Mother figured out I was coming home hungry and figured I was either being bullied out of my lunch money, spending it stupidly, or losing it somehow.

There followed a lecture about how it was possible to drink a lot of money, or eat it, but in both cases there'd be a limit because you'd get full. However, it was explained that with gambling , the limit was the amount of money you have, or HAVE ACCESS TO. Then I was told about an old neighbour who'd lost everything, including the house and shop, to gambling. I had known this had happened but not why. It was a lesson that sunk in, and I stopped there and then. Put on a few pounds as well !!

I'm 62 now, and have a regular flutter on the lotto, with no real expectation of winning the big one, but hey, it could happen.

Thanks Mam.

diomed

I like a bet.
It looks like the only GAA bookie sponsorship is the Armagh team. I might be wrong.
The idea that reducing advertising or sponsorship will stop problem gambling does not make sense to me.

I would prefer that you would have to produce ID (a national ID card) to bet, and bookmakers be obliged to keep a running total of the losses for each person. If the person hits a limit then any more bets from them are refused.
You might say that people will bet with foreign betting companies online. Sites can be blocked. Of course you can get around that but I think preventing problem gamblers betting, or making it difficult is a better approach. You could extend the restrictions to credit card companies.

This might seem like big brother ruling things, but we have had many cases of people stealing six figure sums and more from their employers and losing it to bookmakers.
Gambling addiction courses are very expensive, costing thousands. I do not like to see people making money out of addiction.

buried

diomed wrote: »

I like a bet.
It looks like the only GAA bookie sponsorship is the Armagh team. I might be wrong.
The idea that reducing advertising or sponsorship will stop problem gambling does not make sense to me.

I dunno Dio, I was at a family function a few weeks back and some of the younger members were sneakily trying to get me to put on actual bets for them on the online bookies once I had a few drinks. I was shocked at this to be honest, these lads would be about 11 - 13. There is no way when I was that age, any sporting event would make me even entertain the thought of putting on a bet. These little hoors seem to be used to it. That premier league over in England with all the betting adverts, especially the ones 2 seconds before kick off are a disgrace. That has to be where these lads are seeing this sort of thing as glamorous and something to be done. I seen one today and looked like a f**king Indiana Jones cartoon for christsakes. The GAA are dead right doing this IMO.

weldoninhio

buried wrote: »

I dunno Dio, I was at a family function a few weeks back and some of the younger members were sneakily trying to get me to put on actual bets for them on the online bookies once I had a few drinks. I was shocked at this to be honest, these lads would be about 11 - 13. There is no way when I was that age, any sporting event would make me even entertain the thought of putting on a bet. These little hoors seem to be used to it. That premier league over in England with all the betting adverts, especially the ones 2 seconds before kick off are a disgrace. That has to be where these lads are seeing this sort of thing as glamorous and something to be done. I seen one today and looked like a f**king Indiana Jones cartoon for christsakes. The GAA are dead right doing this IMO.

What was the reaction of their parents when you told them??

buried

weldoninhio wrote: »

What was the reaction of their parents when you told them??

Yeah, they were blaming computer games for some reason I didn't understand, something about how the modern football computer games have all these stats they use to predict things. I told them to keep a f**king eye on it and they said they are, but the real reason is those betting adverts 2 seconds before the match. One crowd, Betway? They have them cartoony comedy adverts right before kickoff, that $hit isn't right Wel. Kids are watching these things from 1.30 in the day, how can any parent stop them seeing that?

diomed

buried
You make a good point.
The bookmakers probably have a policy to get as many in the net as early as possible.
That way they will get their grips on the compulsive gamblers early.
I think they make most of their money from those with gambling addiction.

A year or two back I went into the head office of a big bookmaker in Dublin to get the info they held on me as allowed by legislation.
They would only e-mail the info to me.
And the info they sent me was wrong (transactions missing) and I suspect it was only a subset of the full info held.
There was a bit of a blip from my PC when I opened their e-mail.
I later found isnare snooping software loaded on my PC and the date of the download was the date I opened that e-mail.
They use specialised software to target people.
If you open an online account things happen in the background that you know nothing about. They know the websites you visit.
If you hear of people working in IT for a bookmaker you can be sure they are not writing computer programs.

Picking up the pieces when gamblers are addicted is not the way to go.
We need legislation and enforcement controlling the gambling industry.

mariaalice

Anyone with an online gambling account that is up to them banning it is a silly idea and does not work, however, it should be mandatory ( possible is ) that it will affect your credit rating and access to a mortgage or business loan.

This should be explained to teenagers and reiterated a few time before they are adults so nobody is in any doubt.

Therefore you are not stopping anyone gambling it's a free choice they make knowing the effect it will have.

jay1988

mariaalice wrote: »

Anyone with an online gambling account that is up to them banning it is a silly idea and does not work, however, it should be mandatory ( possible is ) that it will affect your credit rating and access to a mortgage or business loan.

My brother was refused a mortgage by his bank because his bank statements were showing weekly deposits into a Paddy Power account.

He was advised to open a new bank account and reapply in six months using his new one as that bank won't give a mortgage to anyone desposting into online gambling accounts.

Fr Tod Umptious

diomed wrote: »

buried
You make a good point.
The bookmakers probably have a policy to get as many in the net as early as possible.
That way they will get their grips on the compulsive gamblers early.
I think they make most of their money from those with gambling addiction.

A year or two back I went into the head office of a big bookmaker in Dublin to get the info they held on me as allowed by legislation.
They would only e-mail the info to me.
And the info they sent me was wrong (transactions missing) and I suspect it was only a subset of the full info held.
There was a bit of a blip from my PC when I opened their e-mail.
I later found isnare snooping software loaded on my PC and the date of the download was the date I opened that e-mail.
They use specialised software to target people.
If you open an online account things happen in the background that you know nothing about. They know the websites you visit.
If you hear of people working in IT for a bookmaker you can be sure they are not writing computer programs.

Picking up the pieces when gamblers are addicted is not the way to go.
We need legislation and enforcement controlling the gambling industry.

But banning the visibility of betting brands within the organisation is something a group can do to limit the exposure of young people to betting.

And that's exactly what the GAA have dobe.

diomed

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

[/b]
But banning the visibility of betting brands within the organisation is something a group can do to limit the exposure of young people to betting.
And that's exactly what the GAA have dobe.

The initiative might appeal to the GAA membership, but it is useless.
As far as I can see the GAA gets almost nothing from betting companies so banning them it is a gesture.
People watch television and see advertisements.

Fr Tod Umptious

diomed wrote: »

The initiative might appeal to the GAA membership, but it is useless.
As far as I can see the GAA gets almost nothing from betting companies so banning them it is a gesture.
People watch television and see advertisements.

I agree that the GAA is no way as exposed to betting advertising as English soccer, but just today there was an ad on TG4 during their GAA coverage for a well know Irish betting shop chain with a very Dublin football theme to it.

I'd also reckon that there are a good few sideline hoardings up and down the country brought to you by bookies big and small.

But if the GAA build an environment where one can go to an event or watch it on TV where there is no visibility of betting then that is a good thing.

kippy

diomed wrote: »

The initiative might appeal to the GAA membership, but it is useless.
As far as I can see the GAA gets almost nothing from betting companies so banning them it is a gesture.
People watch television and see advertisements.

How is it useless exactly?

mariaalice

mariaalice wrote: »

Anyone with an online gambling account that is up to them banning it is a silly idea and does not work, however, it should be mandatory ( possible is ) that it will affect your credit rating and access to a mortgage or business loan.

This should be explained to teenagers and reiterated a few time before they are adults so nobody is in any doubt.

Therefore you are not stopping anyone gambling it's a free choice they make knowing the effect it will have.

I do believe that having an online account already affects ones credit rating.

On a personal level, I never banned my kids from having a bet when we went to the races. They either gambled or bought sweets. Sweets won out.

gstack166

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I do believe that having an online account already affects ones credit rating.

On a personal level, I never banned my kids from having a bet when we went to the races. They either gambled or bought sweets. Sweets won out.

Wow lucky you. What’s your secret to produce kids who prefer sweets to gambling?

gstack166

gstack166 wrote: »

Wow lucky you. What’s your secret to produce kids who prefer sweets to gambling?

Thankfully they inherited my sweet tooth!!!

weldoninhio

buried wrote: »

Yeah, they were blaming computer games for some reason I didn't understand, something about how the modern football computer games have all these stats they use to predict things. I told them to keep a f**king eye on it and they said they are, but the real reason is those betting adverts 2 seconds before the match. One crowd, Betway? They have them cartoony comedy adverts right before kickoff, that $hit isn't right Wel. Kids are watching these things from 1.30 in the day, how can any parent stop them seeing that?

Well Sky and BT sorts costs about €70 a month all in, so they could cancel the subscription.

buried

weldoninhio wrote: »

Well Sky and BT sorts costs about €70 a month all in, so they could cancel the subscription.

Yeah I suppose they could, but kids are going to watch these matches if they are into the whole thing anyways. Streaming online, going to their mates houses. They'll just end up seeing the Indiana Jones cartoon gambling adverts anyways.

Billy86

Whatever about general advertising or sponsorships, one thing that can f*** right off are the in game ads, e.g. If man utd and Liverpool are playing with man utd 1-0 up at the half, on comes ray Winston with some ****e like "oi geeza, I'm a real 'ard man me, and dont you forget Mo Salah to score next is 3/1 odds right now. Are you 'ard? Is you a real man? Well let's see ya put your money where you mouth is".

That's some revolting, predatory advertising (and creepy how they are able to up are so quickly!). I'm lso glad ve not see a "Ladbrokes life" ad in long over a year, that was among the cringes sh*te I've ever seen.

buried

Billy86 wrote: »

Whatever about general advertising or sponsorships, one thing that can f*** right off are the in game ads, e.g. If man utd and Liverpool are playing with man utd 1-0 up at the half, on comes ray Winston with some ****e like "oi geeza, I'm a real 'ard man me, and dont you forget Mo Salah to score next is 3/1 odds right now. Are you 'ard? Is you a real man? Well let's see ya put your money where you mouth is".

That's some revolting, predatory advertising (and creepy how they are able to up are so quickly!). I'm lso glad ve not see a "Ladbrokes life" ad in long over a year, that was among the cringes sh*te I've ever seen.

weldoninhio

buried wrote: »

Yeah I suppose they could, but kids are going to watch these matches if they are into the whole thing anyways. Streaming online, going to their mates houses. They'll just end up seeing the Indiana Jones cartoon gambling adverts anyways.

You can put parental controls on kids laptops/computers. But that'd be a bit of hassle eh? Easier to blame gambling companies for shitty parenting than actually doing something about it.

topper75

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Completely agree with this. Used to work in a betting shop and it's good to see the GAA making a stand here.

A dark horse working in the bookies? I'm not an expert on ethics, but ...

Seen an interview with a football manager the other day,possibly on match of the day. All the ads behind him on the pop up wall were betting companies..

buried

weldoninhio wrote: »

You can put parental controls on kids laptops/computers. But that'd be a bit of hassle eh? Easier to blame gambling companies for shitty parenting than actually doing something about it.

I don't know what your getting so snotty about man, Kids are going to watch football games if they want to, they'll find a way to, and why shouldn't they watch them? its supposed to be a enjoyable sport not solely adult entertainment infused with messages to gamble gamble gamble.

weldoninhio

buried wrote: »

I don't know what your getting so snotty about man, Kids are going to watch football games if they want to, they'll find a way to, and why shouldn't they watch them? its supposed to be a enjoyable sport not solely adult entertainment infused with messages to gamble gamble gamble.

There is plenty of local games on every week. I normally watch 2/3 games a weekend on the local pitch. Zero gambling advertising. There are 9/20 Premier League teams with gambling sites on the front or sleeve of their jerseys. One of the stadiums are named after a gambling site. Clubs make huge money from gambling sites. Sky, who own the rights to the majority of Premier League games have their own gambling site. It doesn't matter what football is supposed to be. It is what it is now. If you feel your kids are susceptible to being dragged into a bookies by advertisments, it is on YOU and you alone to protect them from that. If that means saying no to the little darlings when they want to watch Bet365 sponsored Stoke versus Mansion gambling sponsored Spurs in the Bet365 stadium, then say NO.

You can't on one hand claim that the GAA banning advertising is good because it'll stop people getting into gambling, and on the other say, well I let them watch the Prem, nothing I can do, then blame advertising for them becoming gamblers.

buried

weldoninhio wrote: »

There is plenty of local games on every week. I normally watch 2/3 games a weekend on the local pitch. Zero gambling advertising. There are 9/20 Premier League teams with gambling sites on the front or sleeve of their jerseys. One of the stadiums are named after a gambling site. Clubs make huge money from gambling sites. Sky, who own the rights to the majority of Premier League games have their own gambling site. It doesn't matter what football is supposed to be. It is what it is now. If you feel your kids are susceptible to being dragged into a bookies by advertisments, it is on YOU and you alone to protect them from that. If that means saying no to the little darlings when they want to watch Bet365 sponsored Stoke versus Mansion gambling sponsored Spurs in the Bet365 stadium, then say NO.

You can't on one hand claim that the GAA banning advertising is good because it'll stop people getting into gambling, and on the other say, well I let them watch the Prem, nothing I can do, then blame advertising for them becoming gamblers.

Up to me? Sorry man but I don't have any kids but your right it would be up to me in my house if I did have some and I would not allow that depressing grim gamble trash in my house, but I also live in the real world, if I did have kids how am I going to stop them seeing it elsewhere? Should I tie them up in the basement and never let them go outside? Your talking to much in absolutes wel, they are going to see it and be influenced by it no matter how I try to control it within MY house, its that all over the place. Whatever about shirt sponsorship, I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about cartoon like advertisements with characters like Indiana Jones gambling on their phone 2 seconds before kick off. That is totally f**ked and no excuse for it. What do you think of adverts like that wel?

weldoninhio

buried wrote: »

Up to me? Sorry man but I don't have any kids but your right it would be up to me in my house if I did have some and I would not allow that depressing grim gamble trash in my house, but I also live in the real world, if I did have kids how am I going to stop them seeing it elsewhere? Should I tie them up in the basement and never let them go outside? Your talking to much in absolutes wel, they are going to see it and be influenced by it no matter how I try to control it within MY house, its that all over the place. Whatever about shirt sponsorship, I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about cartoon like advertisements with characters like Indiana Jones gambling on their phone 2 seconds before kick off. That is totally f**ked and no excuse for it. What do you think of adverts like that wel?

I meant you in the general sense.

I'd imagine most 10-16 year olds nowadays wouldn't have much of a clue about Indiana Jones. That ad is one of a series of catastrophic events ads, there's a snowed in one and a stuck in a life raft one too.

Fr Tod Umptious

Billy86 wrote: »

Whatever about general advertising or sponsorships, one thing that can f*** right off are the in game ads, e.g. If man utd and Liverpool are playing with man utd 1-0 up at the half, on comes ray Winston with some ****e like "oi geeza, I'm a real 'ard man me, and dont you forget Mo Salah to score next is 3/1 odds right now. Are you 'ard? Is you a real man? Well let's see ya put your money where you mouth is".

That's some revolting, predatory advertising (and creepy how they are able to up are so quickly!). I'm lso glad ve not see a "Ladbrokes life" ad in long over a year, that was among the cringes sh*te I've ever seen.

Thankfully to this point it's not a prevalant in GAA broadcasts as it is in soccer but as I said yesterday on TG4 there was a betting ad based around Dublin football basically with the theme that with the app you can place a bet, and win, as quick as Dublin score goals.

With the Asian market being very important to English soccer right now I feel that it will be a long time before we see the end of the likes of Ray

Oldtree

Are they going to ban ads on sky sports between halves on match day?

Would have been better to ban alcohol advertising first, including banning the sale of alcohol in Croke Park on match day!

OldMrBrennan83

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Permabear

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weldoninhio

Patww79 wrote: »

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Who cares about crowd trouble? It normalizes drinking and sets a bad example to young people. Is that not the argument people are using about gambling??

OldMrBrennan83

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Fr Tod Umptious

weldoninhio wrote: »

Who cares about crowd trouble? It normalizes drinking and sets a bad example to young people. Is that not the argument people are using about gambling??

Your dead right.

Alchol sponsorship in no longer present in any GAA national level competition, even at county level it's been greatly reduced.

So go to any game in Croke Park and, other than in the bar areas, you won't see any drinks company visibility.

Rugby for example is the complete opposite. The tournament that Irish clubs play in has a drinks name brand, the European competition had a drinks name brand previously, and is still the primary sponsor of that competition.

The autumn international series has a drinks company name brand, so much so that on a TV EPG it appears as "Guinness Series Live"

A child going to a rugby event regularly will be constantly seeing that drinks brand time and time again.
And will become familiar with it, and associate it with rugby.

That's why the drinks companies spend so much on it.

Mokuba

- It's the only addiction where somebody thinks doing more of it is the only way to stop.

E.g. Chasing losses to get back to amount held before.

- It's super easy to hide. Don't know of any other addiction where the tell tale signs take so long to show. Somebody could be addicted for a very long time before it becomes outwardly obvious to others. I know of one international sports star in this country, and I have no idea how he takes the field with the amounts he blows through.

- It's normalised. More and more people associate watching football with having a bet.

- Lastly, it's a source of ego. You don't brag about smoking 40 in a day and get praised. But you back a 20/1 winner and you tell everyone. You "beat the bookies" and you want everyone to know. ( Better not tell them about the other 20 bets you lost though )

AlanG

ismat wrote: »

Do people think that banning the likes of paddy power from sponsoring a gaa team will stop people gambling? If people want to have a bet they will whether or not some betting company’s name is on a jersey.

The people in Paddy Power etc. obviously do or they would not be sponsoring these teams and events, they advertise and sponsor to get profit and influence. Banning sponsorship makes the damaging activity less mainstream and easier for society to resist and control.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Oldtree wrote: »

Are they going to ban ads on sky sports between halves on match day?

Would have been better to ban alcohol advertising first, including banning the sale of alcohol in Croke Park on match day!

Or maybe we shouldn't have to ban either.

Instead try and educate people on the potential dangers of abusing drink or gambling and encourage personal responsibility . Of being a mature indepedent adult.

weldoninhio

Patww79 wrote: »

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Whats abnormal about gambling? Most people can do it with zero issues.

weldoninhio

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Or maybe we shouldn't have to ban either.

Instead try and educate people on the potential dangers of abusing drink or gambling and encourage personal responsibility . Of being a mature indepedent adult.

We could never do that. Personal responsibility is frowned upon in Ireland.

OldMrBrennan83

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kippy

Why is personal responsibility coming into a conversation about addiction issues?

King of Kings

This point relates to more than just gambling in general.
What galls me about much in Ireland (and Uk tbh) is we throw road blocks at the freedom of everybody to curtail the actions of the few.
What really pisses me off if that people will happily curtail their choices on the premise that they are saving society when it's bullsh1t cos the few that have problems with vice (drink , drugs , gambling, porn ..whatever) would will probably move mountains to circumvent those rules anyway.

The only people impinged by rules to curtail vices are the people who don't abuse those vices.

some may laugh but this ruling is pure virtue signalling from the GAA - look how great we are.
meaningless pontification.

weldoninhio

kippy wrote: »

Why is personal responsibility coming into a conversation about addiction issues?

You think someone with an addiction, be it gambling in this case, or drinking, drugs, sex has no personal responsibility towards their actions?? Jesus wept.

Fr Tod Umptious

King of Kings wrote: »

This point relates to more than just gambling in general.
What galls me about much in Ireland (and Uk tbh) is we throw road blocks at the freedom of everybody to curtail the actions of the few.
What really pisses me off if that people will happily curtail their choices on the premise that they are saving society when it's bullsh1t cos the few that have problems with vice (drink , drugs , gambling, porn ..whatever) would will probably move mountains to circumvent those rules anyway.

The only people impinged by rules to curtail vices are the people who don't abuse those vices.

some may laugh but this ruling is pure virtue signalling from the GAA - look how great we are.
meaningless pontification.

But how is a ban on betting advertising a road block at freedom ?

No one is banning betting, what is being banned is the visibility of betting companies.

Is the fact that there is no porn on RTE 1 at 3 in the afternoon a road block to my freedom to watch porn ?

Yer Da sells Avon

Permabear wrote: »

This post had been deleted.

I wasn't trying to suggest that the gambling problems or match fixing incidents among players were caused by the gambling industry's involvement with the sport. But in the context of those problems, there's something incongruous about naming the major tournaments after gambling companies. My biggest issue isn't even with their presence in the sport - it's the prominence they're given and the fact that even on the advertisement-free BBC, you have presenters calling competitions 'the Betway UK Championship' and the 'Dafabet Masters', etc.

Donald Trump

I detest all forms of gambling

Still, I bet it won't last.

NinetyTwoTeam

Really great to hear this, and I am 'fond of a flutter' as they say. But I hate being bombarded by betting ads when watching TV, that prey on young people.

I don't bet as much any more, and when I do it is just small amounts, but I learned some expensive lessons as a young man, and I wouldn't want young fellas today to go through that. People really don't realize how strong of an addiction gambling can become. Many addiction experts claim it is the hardest habit to kick, and gamblers have by far the highest suicide rate of any addict. Take a wild guess as to what the number one city for suicide is in America...

I see fellas going into bookies now and just wish I could tell them what I've learned over the years. Like, why do you think there are 20 horse races a day, 364 days a year? Because it's as addictive as crack, and that's how greedy the bookies are. Have a bet on a horse once or twice a year, fine. but how stupid do you have to be to think you can consistently predict the outcome of a pack of wild animals with midgets strapped to their back running in a circle at high speed. And you think you're going to beat the bookie by betting on the Premier League, or any sport that has 3 possible outcomes, then you really need to have your head examined.

I actually think if we are going to have legalized gambling, it should be run by the government, and all proceeds go towards the health service. They are making obscene amounts of money in Ireland, it's the one thing that not only survived but thrived during the recession, as people became more desperate for money and also suddenly became unemployed and unoccupied during the day, many turned to gambling.