Katie-Anne O’Toole is a Problem-Gambling Support therapist  for the Longford area.

She is based in Bridgeways Family Resource Centre in Ballymahon and also holds clinics in Granard and Ballynacarrigy Family Resource Centres. Katie -Anne told the Leader that they hold clinics with a trained problem gambling counsellor in the centre during these sessions they hold ”one client counselling sessions are held for the problem gambler or their concerned other. The support is donation based or free. Counselling is always held one day per week’’ She  stated that there is currently ”a big trend in online gambling through online sports betting followed by bookmakers, with slots and casinos also being utilised , and availability for online gambling is a huge concern and has been strongly linked with gaming which is growing rapidly”.

 There are 21 other Family Resource Centres across the country which provide one to one support to people struggling with problem-gambling.  Katie -Anne stated that she is hopeful that ”in time when they have a bigger base ” they’ll be able to provide group sessions as well for people struggling with gambling issues and for their families who have been impacted’’.  She told the Leader that the current plan for Longford is to link up with “ MABS, homeless shelters and deliver talks to Transition Year classes. Katie-Anne highlighted that ‘’you cannot see a gambling problem , it’s easy to hide, most people don’t come for help until they’re at  rock bottom’’. She added that ‘’ it can stem from a form of trauma in a person’s life and can affect anyone , women as much as men which a lot of people don’t realise’’. 

Katie-Anne hopes to create awareness of the problems that can arise from gambling these include ”placing a bet that may be out of their means, breakdown in communication and relationships, placing down more money than intended’’.  She addresses how games such as FIFA, Fortnite and Grand Theft Auto have contributed to gambling, ” in  the game Grand Theft Auto children learn how to gamble, how to rob a shop and has ”loot boxes’ which is like a lucky dip – teaches the fundamentals of gambling  giving something of value to gain something of value’’.

She addressed the importance of creating awareness for problem gambling ” The Gambling Awareness Trust have been compiling research into the effects of gambling on the individual and on the community. We know from what is showing up in the counselling room that suicidal ideation, depression, loneliness, loss of jobs and homelessness are some of the concerning factors that come into play when a person has a gambling problem’’.  Katie -Anne  added that ”Knowing this information allows us to bring awareness to the wider communities such as community centres, schools and medical centres  to create a conversation around gambling so that an individual can become aware of their own gambling habits.’’

 ”Many people do not know the significant link between gaming and gambling or that scratch cards are also gambling so they may think that their habit is normal. The problem is however that this issue has been normalised. We want to bring gambling and its consequences into the conscious mind of the community so that they can seek help for themselves and for any other person that their problem gambling may be affecting. This will ensure to alleviate social, economical and psychological problems in the future’’.

They have delivered talks to Transition Year (TY) students, they’ve teamed up with Tony O’Reilly who is now an addiction counsellor but has faced serious gambling problems in his past,  he talks to the students about his own life experiences.  Katie-Anne stated the importance of talking to TY pupils in particular ”studies have shown that many students would have placed a bet by the age of 17, it is important to explain how it can spiral, if you win a big bet early in life you might want to keep up the chase” of trying to get more.

The Longford based  therapist told the Leader that people should look at their own gambling habits and ask themselves two questions ”is this adding to my life or taking away from it ?’’.  Problem Gambling is now recognised as an official disorder. Katie- Anne believes that it is  really important to open up this conversation ”to take away the shame , it’s completely random  and can affect anyone”. She thinks that people facing issues with gambling should be  ‘’offered compassion so people know that there are supports available’’.  There are three Family Resource Centres in the Longford area that provide one on one support to people who struggle from problem-gambling.