Gambling addiction help in Ireland

Verified helplines

Helplines and online chat

GamblingCare.ie, funded by the Gambling Awareness Trust and delivered with Dunlewey Addiction Services, runs the national freephone line: 1800 936 725 in the Republic of Ireland and 08000 886 725 in Northern Ireland, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is the number Citizens Information and the GRAI both point people to.

Two other services cover the island. Extern Problem Gambling runs a call-back helpline Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm — call or text 089 241 5401 in the Republic or 07537 188 575 in Northern Ireland — plus a free counselling service and a support network for women. Gamblers Anonymous Ireland can be reached on 01 872 1133 or 087 262 2804 between 10am and 10pm.

Self-exclusion

There is no national self-exclusion register in Ireland as of September 2026. The Gambling Regulation Act 2024 provides for a National Gambling Exclusion Register run by the GRAI, and once you are on it a licensed operator may not let you register to gamble, accept a gambling payment from you, or contact you in a way that promotes gambling — a breach carries up to five years' imprisonment and, or a fine. The register is not yet operational: the GRAI has said it is developing the systems behind it and will bring it in following the commencement of its licensing function, which began on 1 July 2026.

Until it exists, self-exclusion in Ireland is done operator by operator. Every gambling company you have an account with should have a self-exclusion or account-closure option in its responsible gambling section, and you have to use it on each one separately. If you gamble in betting shops, ask staff at each shop to exclude you. Because that leaves obvious gaps, most people in Ireland pair it with a bank block and blocking software. Our guide to self-exclusion schemes by country shows what the national registers look like elsewhere.

Blocking gambling payments and sites

A bank gambling block is currently the closest thing Ireland has to a single switch. AIB, EBS and Revolut introduced one first; Bank of Ireland added a block in May 2025 and PTSB launched an in-app version in July 2025, both welcomed publicly by the GRAI. The block is set from the banking app and stops card transactions to gambling merchants. If you cannot find it, contact the bank and ask whether it offers a gambling transaction block.

Since 5 February 2026 it has also been illegal for a licensed operator to accept credit cards for gambling or to facilitate credit, which closes one of the routes people previously used around a debit-card block.

Blocking software works at the device level and, unlike anything the regulator controls, also blocks unlicensed sites. See our comparison of gambling blocking apps for iOS and Android.

Free treatment and counselling

Non-residential and outpatient addiction services provided through the public health system are free of charge, according to Citizens Information; some residential treatment through the public system may also be free. Private residential programmes are not free and prices vary, so check with the provider and with your health insurer before committing.

Treatment usually starts with an assessment, then individual or group counselling, and gambling services often add financial advice and a referral onward — to Gamblers Anonymous, to family support, or to a residential programme. The GRAI publishes a list of gambling addiction support services, and there is an interactive map of local addiction services searchable by treatment type, age group and whether the service is residential or community-based.

Extern Problem Gambling offers a free counselling service across the island, and for people in County Wicklow a four-tier service that runs from prevention education through an online recovery programme and counselling to referral for 13 weeks of residential treatment at the specialist gambling unit in Cuan Mhuire, Athy.

Support for family and friends

The GamblingCare.ie freephone line and Extern Problem Gambling both take calls from family members and offer support in their own right, not only as a route to the person who gambles. HSE addiction services include family support, and Citizens Information lists family support among the standard treatment options.

The GRAI, working with HSE Addiction Services, has published guidance for parents on spotting the signs of gambling in children, prompted by ESRI research it commissioned showing that children who gamble are twice as likely to develop a gambling problem as adults. Our guide on helping someone with a gambling problem covers the conversation itself, and what to do about gambling debt covers the money side.

Gambling law and the regulator

The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland was formally established in March 2025 under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, which replaces Ireland's older gambling laws. The National Lottery is regulated separately and is outside the Act.

Licensing is being rolled out in phases. Applications opened on 9 February 2026 for remote betting, remote betting intermediary and in-person betting licences; remote betting and betting intermediary licences commenced on 1 July 2026, in-person betting licences later in the year, and applications for gaming, lottery, business-to-business, charitable and philanthropic licences are due to open through 2027 and 2028. Operating without a betting licence is a criminal offence.

Several protections are already in force. Since 5 February 2026 it has been illegal to pay for gambling with a credit card, for children to gamble or be employed by a licensee, and to place ATMs in gambling premises unless the licence specifically allows it; players can also set limits on how much they gamble online. Licensed operators must verify age, pay out winnings, and close accounts on request. A statutory advertising watershed prohibits gambling advertising on television, radio and on-demand audiovisual media between 5.30am and 9pm. The minimum age to gamble is 18.

Not everything in the Act has been commenced. Along with the exclusion register, the ban on inducements and the full advertising restrictions come in as the remaining provisions are switched on.