Irish researchers call for ban on €1 and €2 scratchcards to curb gambling harm
Researchers from four universities have called for a ban on €1 and €2 scratchcards as part of a package of measures aimed at reducing gambling-related harm among adults and children in Ireland. The proposals, reported on 2 November 2026, are set out in a paper published in the Irish Journal of Medical Science.
The authors are based at the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), Queen’s University Belfast, the University of Limerick and University College Cork. Their argument is that measures used successfully in tobacco and alcohol control should also be applied to gambling, and that this includes National Lottery products sold over the counter in shops across the country.
What the scratchcard paper recommends
The ban on low-cost scratchcards is the headline proposal, but it sits inside a longer list drawn from the tobacco and alcohol playbook.
The paper calls for tighter restrictions on gambling advertising and point-of-sale marketing, along with mandatory health warnings on scratchcards and betting slips. It also proposes plain packaging for scratchcards and stronger enforcement of existing gambling laws.
On the money side, the researchers want higher gambling taxes and a retailer licence fee for National Lottery sales. They also propose raising the minimum gambling age from 18 to 21, which would move gambling well beyond the age at which you can legally buy alcohol in Ireland.
The case made by the authors
Lead author Dr Frank Houghton, Principal Investigator of the Tobacco, Alcohol and Gambling Research Group at TUS, said low-cost scratchcards were too easily accessible to children. “If we learn from the achievements of tobacco control we can help protect both children and adults from becoming problem gamblers,” he said, adding: “Cheap scratchcards are simply too easy for children to access.”
He went further, describing the gambling, tobacco and alcohol industries as “all essentially addiction industries”.
Co-author Prof Anne Campbell, emeritus professor of social work at Queen’s University Belfast, said scratchcards should be kept out of sight of children in the same way as tobacco products. “All betting slips and scratchcards should also include clear warnings on the threats posed by gambling,” she said.
The evidence behind the call for a ban
The researchers point to evidence that underage access to lottery products remains a live problem.
Test-purchasing research commissioned by the Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery found that almost 30% of retailers were willing to sell a lottery product to a child. That figure is the core of the argument against cheap tickets: a €1 card is within reach of pocket money, and nearly one shop in three would hand it over.
The paper also cites a recent Economic and Social Research Institute report, which estimated that around 130,000 people in Ireland are problem gamblers, while a further 279,000 show moderate signs of problem gambling. According to the paper, international evidence indicates that people who gamble before reaching the legal age are significantly more likely to experience gambling problems later in life.
The authors say a public health approach of the kind adopted for tobacco and alcohol could help reduce gambling-related harm and better protect vulnerable groups, particularly children and young people. The paper is a set of recommendations rather than a policy decision, and no response from the Government or the National Lottery operator was reported alongside it.
If gambling is already costing you more than you planned, the practical step is to set deposit and loss limits with any operator you use, or to self-exclude, and to contact a support service before the next session rather than after it.
