The Headline Numbers
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated total annual gambling spend (adults) | €5.5 billion | ESRI |
| Adults who gambled in the previous 4 weeks | 74% | ESRI |
| Adults gambling online | 35% | ESRI |
| Adults with problem gambling | 3.3% (~130,000 people) | ESRI |
| Further adults with moderate evidence of PG | 7.1% (~279,000) | ESRI |
| Industry gross gambling revenue (2025, est.) | €1.17–€2.57 billion | GRAI annual report |
| Sector employment | 6,000+ people | GRAI annual report |
| Annual tax contribution | ~€171 million | GRAI annual report |
Who the Spending Comes From
The most important finding in the ESRI research is concentration. The 3.3% with problem gambling account for 28.3% of all gambling expenditure (~€1.6bn), spending on average more than €1,000 per month. Widen the lens to everyone with problem gambling or moderate evidence of it — 10.4% of adults — and that group funds 47% of total spend (~€2.6bn). Nearly half the industry's money comes from one adult in ten. Even "moderate" gamblers (7%+ of adults) average around €70 a week — €3,640 a year.
The Ten-Times Correction
Before the ESRI's landmark study (commissioned during the establishment of the GRAI), Irish problem gambling was officially estimated at roughly a tenth of the current figure. The 3.3% finding — one adult in thirty — is about ten times higher than previously thought, and is the single statistic that most shaped the Gambling Regulation Act's player protections, from the credit card ban to the National Exclusion Register and the Social Impact Fund.
Online vs In-Person, and What Moves Spending
Reported spending splits roughly evenly between online and in-person channels, with 35% of adults gambling online in a given month. A joint GRAI–ESRI experiment also found that inducements — free bets and moneyback offers — increased spending by over 10%, evidence that sits directly behind the Act's inducement restrictions. Self-reported figures understate true losses — concealment is real and the ESRI tested for it — so the €5.5bn estimate is best read as a floor.
What This Page Is For
Ireland has no routine annual national account of gambling participation and spend, so the numbers above — ESRI survey research plus the GRAI's first annual report — are the best public picture as of 2026. Journalists and researchers are welcome to cite this summary with attribution; the primary sources are listed below, and our GRAI register tracker logs the regulatory numbers as they change. If your own gambling stopped being entertainment: Gambling Awareness Trust, 1800 753 753, gamblingcare.ie.
Primary Sources
ESRI, "Measures of problem gambling, gambling behaviours and perceptions in Ireland" (gov.ie/esri.ie) • GRAI First Annual Report (grai.ie) • Irish Banking Culture Board problem-gambling fact sheet • GRAI–ESRI inducements study. Figures are estimates from survey research; see each source for methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
ESRI research estimates ~€5.5bn of adult spend a year; industry gross revenue was estimated at €1.17–€2.57bn in 2025 (GRAI annual report).
ESRI estimates 3.3% of adults — about 130,000 people — with a further ~279,000 showing moderate evidence. Roughly ten times earlier official estimates.
28.3% of all spend from the 3.3% with problem gambling; 47% from the 10.4% with PG or moderate evidence of it (ESRI).