Ireland has long been debating whether gambling is a bit too much in the country, with Senator Mark Wall, the Labor Party’s sports spokesperson, pointing to Belgium as a good example of what should happen in his country as well.

Block Gambling Ads Now, Says Irish Lawmaker

According to Wall, the time is right to go all gung-ho on gambling advertisements and effectively ban all of it. He has already worked on a piece of legislation to address what he has long seen as an issue. Wall believes that banning gambling advertisements would help protect problem gambling and accuses companies of “mass preying” on vulnerable individuals.

He hailed Belgium for recognizing the ill that came out of gambling advertisements and congratulated the country for acting unequivocally in its determination to tamp down the pernicious influence of gambling. Wall explained:

Government had an opportunity to be a real leader in this space by working with the Labor Party and introduce our legislation that would do the same here.

Senator Mark Wall, the Labor Party’s sports spokesperson

Wall argued that the proliferation of gambling advertisements in the country was too obvious to deny. He argued that gambling ads were ubiquitous from morning to evening, and they penetrated every medium – physical spaces, sports games, and digital.

“The gambling industry has worked hard to create a strong link in our minds between major sports events and betting,” he noted. Wall’s remarks echoed that of Belgian lawmakers. He insisted that gambling ads were feeding off gambling addicts in generating revenue and driving customers to use specific apps and brands.

Wall also insists that the industry is working very hard to entrench that sports and gambling go hand-in-hand, creating subtle correlations in people’s minds and possibly pushing vulnerable people to addiction. The politician was adamant that the current level of gambling proliferation called for stricter responses. He said that the same argument went about tobacco and insisted that time was ticking.