Talking to your children about gambling
This guide is for parents and guardians in Ireland who want to raise gambling with a child or teenager before an advert, a mate’s betting app or an in-game purchase raises it for them. We explain where young people tend to meet gambling, what the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 says about children, and how to run the conversation itself. You will also find the free supports to use if a conversation reveals that gambling is already causing harm.
Why the conversation matters early
Gambling in Ireland is for adults aged 18 and over, and the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 makes it an offence for a licensee to let a child take part. That rule protects your child at the betting shop counter and the account sign-up screen. It does nothing about the advert during the match, the odds read out on a podcast or a friend who opened an account with someone else’s details.
Children usually form their view of gambling long before they are old enough to place a bet.
The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, the GRAI, runs a section of its website for parents on gambling and young people, which tells you the regulator treats this as a family matter as well as a licensing one. A GRAI-commissioned study reported in November found that an email, an app notification or a gambling ad preceded one in seven gamblers’ most recent session. Your child sees the same prompts you do, often on the same screens.
So the aim of an early talk is modest. You are not trying to frighten anyone off sport or games. You want your child to recognise a bet when it is dressed up as something else, and to know they can come to you without being given out to. A child who has heard you talk calmly about odds at ten is far more likely to mention a worrying app at fifteen. That is the whole return on the effort, and it is a good one.
What the 2024 Act says about children
| Where it happens | Child protection | Legal source | Status | What to tell them |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online betting accounts | Licensee cannot let a child gamble | Gambling Regulation Act 2024 | In force for GRAI licensees | Under-18 accounts are illegal |
| Account sign-up | Age and identity must be verified | GRAI licence obligations | In force for GRAI licensees | Borrowed IDs break the rules |
| Operator websites | Link to parental control programmes | Section 174 of the Act | Listed by GRAI as a key protection | Ask why the link is there |
| TV, radio and on-demand ads | Watershed from 05:30 to 21:00 | Advertising provisions of the Act | Not yet commenced | Daytime ads are still possible |
Where young people meet gambling
Most children never walk into a bookmaker’s. They meet gambling through sport, through phones and through friends, and the conversation works better when it starts from the place your own child actually spends time.
Sport and advertising
Odds graphics, sponsored shirts and in-play betting offers are part of how many matches are presented. The Act prohibits advertising that portrays gambling as attractive to children or exploits their lack of experience, and it bans gambling-branded clothing and merchandise intended for children. Those advertising provisions are, however, among the parts of the Act still awaiting commencement, according to the GRAI.
Phones and peers
Teenagers often hear about betting first from an older sibling or a friend showing off a win. Nobody shows off the losses. Ask what their friends talk about rather than what they do themselves; the answer is usually more honest.
Games deserve a mention too, because paid random rewards and casino-style mini-games look and feel like gambling even where they are not regulated as such, and that is a useful distinction to talk through with an older child.
Choosing the right way in
There are two broad ways to raise the subject. Below, we set a planned sit-down talk against a habit of short, casual chats prompted by whatever comes up on the screen, and say which suits each part of the job.
Planned talk versus everyday chats
Neither approach is wrong. The rows below show where each one does the work better, based on general guidance for talking to young people rather than on any single study.
Planned sit-down talk | Short everyday chats |
|---|---|
| Covers the rules, the age limit and your family's position in one go | Covers one idea at a time, as it comes up |
| Can feel like a lecture to a teenager | Feels like ordinary conversation, so they talk back |
| Works well after a specific worry, such as a betting app on their phone | Too light for a real concern |
| Happens once and is easily forgotten | Builds a habit of talking that lasts into the late teens |
| Gives you time to prepare helpline details | Lets you use real adverts and odds as examples |
How to have the conversation
The steps below work for most ages from about ten upwards; adjust the language, not the order. Keep it short, keep it calm, and let your child do at least half of the talking.
Six steps for a calm conversation
Each step takes a few minutes. You do not need to get through all six in one sitting.
- Step 1
Pick a moment that already exists
Use a gambling ad during a match, a sponsor's logo or a news story. Starting from something you both just saw feels natural and avoids the sense that your child is suspected of anything. - Step 2
Ask what they already know
Ask open questions: what do they think a bet is, who wins in the long run, do friends talk about it. Listen to the answer before correcting anything, because you need to know their starting point. - Step 3
Explain how the odds actually work
Explain that bookmakers and casinos set prices so they come out ahead over time. A simple example works: if a game pays back less than it takes in, every player loses money on average, however lucky some nights feel. - Step 4
State the law and your rules
Tell them gambling in Ireland is for over-18s and that operators must check age and identity. Then say plainly what your own family rule is, including on using someone else's account or card. - Step 5
Name the warning signs together
Talk about chasing losses, hiding spending, borrowing money and feeling low after playing. Framing these as signs to watch in anyone, including friends, makes them easier to discuss than a direct accusation. - Step 6
Promise a calm response
Tell your child they can come to you about gambling, theirs or a friend's, without being given out to. Then give them the GamblingCare.ie helpline number, 1800 936 725, so they have somewhere else to turn as well.
If gambling is already a problem
Sometimes the conversation turns up more than you expected: an account opened with false details, money missing, a teenager who is clearly anxious about losses. Stay calm first. The practical steps matter more than the telling-off.
If your child has gambled through a licensed operator while under 18, that operator has broken the Act, and it is worth contacting them to have the account closed; licensees must close accounts on request. Keep screenshots of the account and any messages before anything is deleted.
For support, GamblingCare.ie runs a free, confidential national helpline on 1800 936 725, which it lists as open around the clock. Gamblers Anonymous Ireland runs peer support meetings, and the GRAI’s parents’ page also points to the HSE Drugs and Alcohol Helpline on 1800 459 459, a general service rather than a gambling-specific one.
You can also block gambling sites on the devices in your house.
Licensed remote operators must link to parental control programmes from their home page, and most phones and home routers have content filters that cover gambling. A national exclusion register is planned under the Act but has not yet commenced, so for now any exclusion runs operator by operator.
Related Terms
Questions parents ask about children and gambling
What is the legal gambling age in Ireland?
Gambling in Ireland is for adults aged 18 and over. Under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, a licensee cannot allow a child to take part in a gambling activity.
At what age should I first talk to my child about gambling?
There is no fixed age, but around ten is a common starting point, when children follow sport and notice adverts. Start simply and add detail as they get older.
Are gambling ads banned during the day in Ireland?
The Act provides for a watershed from 05:30 to 21:00, but the advertising provisions have not yet commenced. Until they do, daytime gambling ads can still appear.
What if my teenager opened an account with false details?
Contact the operator, explain that the account holder is under 18 and ask for the account to be closed. Keep screenshots first, and talk to your child calmly about how it happened.
Can operators be punished for letting a child gamble?
Yes. Allowing a child to gamble is an offence under the 2024 Act, and press coverage of the Act reports a potential prison sentence of up to eight years for it.
Where can my child or I get help in Ireland?
GamblingCare.ie runs a free, confidential national helpline on 1800 936 725. Gamblers Anonymous Ireland also runs peer support meetings for anyone affected by gambling.
Can I block gambling sites at home?
Yes. Licensed remote operators must link to parental control programmes from their home page, and most phones and routers offer content filters with a gambling category you can switch on.
More about online casinos
The row we would point any parent to first is the last one. The daytime advertising watershed is written into the Act, but the Department of Justice has said it cannot give a timeline for commencement, so your child can still see gambling ads during the day. Treat the law as a floor, not a filter.