MLAs Triumph Over TDs In Gambling Awareness Match

A team of Northern Ireland MLAs has actually thrived over deputies from the Republic's Dail in a football match to raise awareness about gambling-related damage.


The TDs and MLAs were joined by football, rugby and GAA gamers to join for The Big Step five-a-side tournament which was arranged to highlight the exposure of youths to gambling advertising in sport.


Philip McGuigan, Robbie Butler, Stephen Dunne and former gaelic footballer Justin McNulty were amongst MLAs representing the Assembly while TDs Aidan Farrelly, Ruairi O Murchu, Darren O'Rourke and Frankie Feighan lined out on behalf of the Oireachtas.


They were joined by players from The Big Step project, the Professional Footballers Associations for Northern Ireland and Ireland, the Gaelic Players Association and Rugby Players Ireland.


UUP MLA Robbie Butler, Sinn Fein TD Darren O ´ Rourke, DUP MLA Stephen Dunne, Fine Gael TD Frank Feighan, SDLP MLA Justin McNulty, Sinn Fein TD Joanna Byrne, Sinn Fein MLA Philip McGuigan, Fine Gael TD Brian Brennan (front row) Cool FM chief reporter James Gould, Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly, Finn McGrath from the All Party Group Secretariat, and Sinn Fein TD Ruairi O Murchu (Liam McBurney/PA)


The occasion was likewise supported by the Northern Ireland Assembly's All Party Group (APG) on Reducing Harm Related to Gambling.


Mr McGuigan, chairman of the APG on Reducing Harm Related to Gambling, stated: "Everyone has a casino in their pocket through their smart devices. It is more crucial than ever that we highlight the risks of betting marketing in soccer."


The Sinn Fein MLA, who has actually discussed his own problems with betting dependency in the past, added: "The English Premier League is extremely popular here, and the betting logo designs on shirts, arena billboards and TV adverts are unrelenting.


"This requires to be considerably reduced to attend to the public health gaming epidemic we presently face."


Finn McGrath (centre left) from All Party Group Secretariat in action versus Sinn Fein TD Ruairi O Murchu (centre right) (Liam McBurney/PA)


A recent cross-border report by Maynooth University and Ulster University revealed that young individuals across the island of Ireland are exposed to "extremely high levels of betting marketing" through televised sports programmes and social media material, much of which originates from Great Britain.


The Big Step is a campaign run by Gambling With Lives to end all gambling advertising and sponsorship in football.


Organisers said Northern Ireland is now the only jurisdiction amongst the UK and the Republic of Ireland without upgraded gaming legislation in the web era.


Fine Gael TD Frank Feighan (left) in action against SDLP MLA Justin McNulty (Liam McBurney/PA)


They note how legislation was presented last year to develop a gambling regulative authority in the Republic of Ireland and enforce stringent controls on gambling advertising, consisting of a broadcasting watershed.


Members of the APG have composed to Sport and Media Secretary Lisa Nandy to urgently present similar limitations on gaming marketing.


Speaking with the PA news company, Mr Butler celebrated the MLA group's 6-1 triumph over the TDs.


Sinn Fein MLA Philip McGuigan shoots during the match (Liam McBurney/PA)


On the subject of gaming, he said the APG was not a "prohibitionist" group but included it was very important to highlight the threats associated with the practice, including dependency, hardship, poor psychological health and suicide.


The deputy leader of the UUP, who pulled a hamstring during a match, stated the APG wanted to send a cumulative message to Westminster that gambling advertising was a "serious concern" to be attended to.


"Gambling is among those addictive matters we require to see better legislation around," he said.


Mr Feighan, the captain of the TDs, said the island of Ireland has "obstacles" with gambling.


The Fine Gael TD stated that while he bets "a bit" himself, there was a requirement to do more to protect individuals "from the scourge of betting".


Michael Carvill, president of Professional Football Players Northern Ireland, stated: "We think there need to be a reasonable reduction in betting promo within the video game to help protect players, fans, and especially young people from potential damage."


One man who had been personally affected by betting dependency stated Friday's tournament was a "fantastic" initiative.


Declan Cregan, a training and engagement officer for Chapter One, stated his love of sport had actually been messed up by betting in the past.


After starting with a ₤ 1 bet at the age of 16, he said "things extremely rapidly got a hell of a lot even worse" to the point his last bet ten years later was for ₤ 4,500.


"It was a really challenging 10 years for me, but regrettably not just for me - it impacted a lot of parts of my life and people in my life. My mental health was as well."


Mr Cregan, who now works with a body targeted at decreasing the damage of betting in society, said: "Sport would be a much more secure location if betting marketing was tossed out."


He stated he would support a "blanket ban" on betting advertising similar to the watershed in the Republic of Ireland.