A study released last week found that 12,000 adults in the country were documented as problem gamblers, with tens of thousands more at risk of problem gambling.
Fermananese residents Pete and Sadie Keough, who lost their son Louis to a gambling-related suicide, are determined to develop educational programs on both sides of the border.
The couple has spent years campaigning for changes in the law so their parents don’t have to face the same heartache they did.
In 2021, they spearheaded a pilot educational program in schools in Northern Ireland with Gambling with Lives, a charity founded by a bereaved gambling addict.
The charity is now one step closer to introducing an island-wide effort into its life-saving campaign.
Senator Fein Gale Emmer Curry invited the Keough family and Gamble of Life to Oileacha to meet with TD and the Senator to discuss the matter.
“The goal is to secure a place for gambling awareness campaigns in secondary schools, similar to the successful pilots in Northern Ireland,” Ms Curry said.
Discussions are underway with organizations such as Foróige, a youth organization serving over 600 communities in Ireland. MPs attended Leinster House last week.
“Having worked closely with Foloige in places such as Tyrrellstown and Blanchardstown here in Dublin, I know their work firsthand. , I think Gamble With Lives is the best,” she said.
The senator said there was a need for “problem gambling precautionary measures” across Ireland.
“I don’t think there’s a family in Ireland who doesn’t know the effects of gambling addiction. For some, like the Keoughs, gambling is their worst nightmare,” she said.
“Hearing Mr. and Mrs. Keough ask themselves if they could have done something to prepare their son for the possibility that gambling could seep into his skin and take hold, as mothers, we absolutely did. I believe that something must be done about
“After meeting Pete Keough and Sadie Keough, I was determined to find a way to get this program out to the community through schools, youth clubs, or sports organizations like we do in the North. It is a message that must be
ESRI’s Behavioral Research Division said problem gambling may be underestimated.
Keough was optimistic that the rollout of the education program “could be completed very quickly.”
“It is my hope that 32 counties will be able to take advantage of this program. It is considered very deliberate,” he said.
He said school programs run by professionals and aimed at influencing the way gambling awareness education is delivered to young people “could save lives.”
“I want to get this message across Ireland. It’s just as important in Tipperary as it is in north Antrim. For me, it’s a very important issue,” he said.
