GRAI publishes update on Social Impact Fund
Summary
The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), working with Pobal, has published findings from a national consultation that will inform the design of a Social Impact Fund created under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024. Funded by annual contributions from licensed gambling operators, the fund is intended to support prevention, treatment, recovery and research into gambling-related harm across Ireland.
The consultation included 162 survey respondents and 54 focus-group participants — people with lived experience, family members, counsellors, providers, NGOs and academics. Respondents highlighted widespread but hidden harm made worse by pervasive advertising and easy online access, and pointed to a fragmented service system with weak referral pathways, limited aftercare, inadequate family support and insufficient workforce training.
The report sets priority investment areas: workforce development, national referral pathways and service coordination, structured aftercare and family services, targeted outreach to underserved groups, plus increased awareness, prevention and research. Stakeholders urged strategic, multi-year funding, transparency, inclusion of lived experience and cross-sector collaboration. GRAI has begun a second phase of data collection from service providers and plans a wider public consultation once a draft funding strategy is prepared; no firm timeline has been confirmed, but operator contributions are expected to begin in 2026.
Key Points
- GRAI and Pobal published consultation outcomes to shape the Social Impact Fund established by the Gambling Regulation Act 2024.
- The fund will be financed by annual contributions from licensed gambling operators and target prevention, treatment, recovery and research.
- The consultation involved people with lived experience, families, treatment providers, NGOs and researchers (162 survey responses; 54 focus groups).
- Common issues: stigma, lack of awareness, fragmented services, weak referral pathways, poor aftercare and limited specialist workforce training.
- Priority investment areas: workforce development, national referral pathways, aftercare and family support, outreach to underserved groups, prevention, awareness and research.
- Stakeholders want strategic, multi-year funding, transparency, lived-experience involvement and cross-sector collaboration — not one-off grants.
- An ESRI study cited an estimate of 1 in 30 adults (≈130,000) experiencing problem gambling — markedly higher than prior estimates; GRAI says better data collection will be central to policy development.
- GRAI is collecting further data from service providers and will run a wider public consultation after drafting the funding strategy; first operator contributions expected in 2026.
Content summary
The article reports on the consultation findings GRAI will use to design the Social Impact Fund. It summarises who took part, the key problems identified (access, advertising, stigma, fragmented services), and the suggested focus for funding and design principles. The regulator emphasises a data-led approach and has started a second data-collection phase; a full public consultation and draft funding strategy will follow, with no set timeline yet.
Context and relevance
This is a significant regulatory development for Ireland’s gambling sector and for public-health and treatment providers. The Social Impact Fund marks a formal mechanism for operator-funded mitigation of gambling harm and could reshape how services are commissioned, coordinated and funded nationally. The ESRI prevalence estimate — if validated — suggests a much larger treatment and prevention need than previously recognised, reinforcing calls for stronger data and sustained investment.
Why should I read this?
Short and blunt: if you work in regulation, treatment, public health or the gambling industry in Ireland, this tells you where the money and the rules are likely to go — who might get funded, what problems the fund must fix, and when contributions start. It’s the preview of how Ireland plans to tackle gambling harm, so worth a quick read instead of trawling the full report.
Author style
Punchy: this update flags a major step towards a coordinated, data-driven approach to gambling harm. If implemented as signalled, the fund could stabilise services and change commissioning priorities — so the detail matters.
Source
Source: https://next.io/news/regulation/grai-publishes-update-social-impact-fund/