ESRI: Nearly 40% of Irish online bettors move into casino products

Nearly four in 10 people who opened an online account to bet on horse racing or sport later used other gambling products, including online casino games, slots and scratch cards, the Economic and Social Research Institute reported on 5 November 2026. The ESRI study, commissioned by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, is based on a representative survey of 1,000 gamblers and examines online and in-person activity, account usage, exposure to marketing and attempts to reduce gambling.

Scope and headline findings

The ESRI found that 38 per cent of those who opened an online betting account subsequently participated in other forms of gambling. The survey asked respondents about gambling over the previous year and covered both online and in-person channels. Key prevalence metrics in the sample were:

• 77 per cent gambled online during the previous year

• 59 per cent gambled in person during the previous year

• 44 per cent engaged in both online and in-person gambling

More than half of gamblers who had opened an online account, 54 per cent, later opened a second gambling account. Around 10 per cent of online gamblers reported holding four or more accounts. Respondents cited favourable odds, straightforward registration processes and promotional offers as the main motivations for opening additional accounts.

Losses, session context and disruption

Online gambling sessions were more likely to be associated with larger reported losses. In their most recent session, 26 per cent of online gamblers said they had lost “a lot”, compared with 17 per cent of those gambling in person.

Marketing and promotional communications frequently preceded gambling sessions. One in seven respondents said their most recent online gambling session took place directly after receiving an email, app notification or seeing a gambling advertisement, and approximately one in five gamblers reported receiving such notifications every day.

The study also captured the impact of gambling on daily life: one in five online gambling sessions interrupted another activity, with work and family time among the activities most frequently affected.

Account mechanics and attempts to cut back

Participants reported that opening an account or depositing money was easier than closing an account or withdrawing winnings. A quarter of respondents said they were either trying to reduce their gambling or intended to do so. Among those already attempting to cut back, one in three said they were gambling the same amount or more than they had a year earlier.

GRAI commissioned the ESRI specifically to capture "real world" consumer behaviour in online environments, with a view to informing regulation. The research highlights that more than half of online account holders are using multiple accounts, often simultaneously across different platforms.

Regulator and government responses

Launching the report, Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan said:

"I am very pleased to launch this latest report in the ESRI's research series examining the gambling landscape in Ireland. Research of this nature plays a vital role in informing both the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) and my Department, enabling us to continue to develop an evidence-based regulatory framework that is responsive to the public health and social needs of our communities while ensuring that gambling is regulated in a fair, effective, and transparent manner."

Pete Lunn, head of the ESRI’s Behavioural Research Unit, summarised the study's risk focus:

"Many consumers gamble for entertainment without experiencing harm, but our previous research for the GRAI found that 1 in 30 adults in Ireland now experience problem gambling, with many more at risk of harm. This new study sheds light on the pathways that people take that may ultimately lead them to harm. It raises issues of what online consumers are signing up for and whether they know and understand that."

GRAI chief executive Anne Marie Caulfield said the findings supported strengthened safeguards in the online sector and pointed to specific regulatory priorities around account opening and closing, spending limits and advertising restrictions. She said the authority would focus on practical protections, including marketing standards, effective account controls and self-exclusion arrangements, while ensuring regulation responds to changes in how people gamble.

Implications noted by the ESRI and GRAI

The report was released as the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland continues the phased introduction of its licensing and regulatory responsibilities. The ESRI study gives the GRAI empirical evidence on account usage patterns, loss experiences in online sessions, and the role of marketing in driving immediate play. The authority has highlighted three areas where the findings are especially relevant:

1. account opening and closing requirements, and the relative ease of deposit versus withdrawal;

2. the prevalence of multiple accounts and simultaneous platform use among online account holders;

3. marketing exposure, with one in seven recent online sessions occurring immediately after a promotional contact.

The ESRI methodology involved a representative survey of 1,000 gamblers and asked detailed questions about respondents' most recent gambling session, frequency of marketing contacts, number of accounts held and attempts to reduce gambling activity.

The study's granular results give regulators and licensed operators figures to cite when designing or assessing measures such as mandatory spending limits, account verification and marketing restrictions. The GRAI has already signalled new obligations for licensed operators in response to online-specific challenges identified by the research.