FORMER Finn Harps footballer Dr Darragh McGee has voiced concerns over the normalisation of gambling which, he insists, has become culturally embedded in the modern world.
Dr McGee, an assistant professor at Bath University in England, has conducted a major study which focuses on the impact of gambling on young men in the cities of Derry and Bristol. The results of the study, funded by the British Academy, are due to be published shortly.
The St Johnston man spoke to the Donegal News earlier this year about his major research into the link between online gambling and young men, which revealed dire consequences of the addiction.
Dr McGee spent two years working closely with groups of football supporters aged 18 to 35 in Derry and Bristol, recording their gambling habits in-depth, in a research project funded by the British Academy.
The research findings included young men telling Dr McGee they can no longer watch a football match unless they have multiple bets; commonly they have up to 25 accounts with online gambling companies, and their football conversations with their friends are all about betting, rather than the game. The study focused on the decade-long rise of online gambling – where online betting has replaced betting in the bookmakers – and the impact on young men’s lives. While the study was formally focused on a UK context, Dr McGee also conducted further interviews with participants from Donegal.
“There is a strong Donegal connection in the study, and it’s clear that online sports gambling is entwined with youth culture across the country. That said, I encountered a strong reluctance among young men to discuss their gambling practices, which is revealing in itself,” Dr McGee had told this newspaper.
He had said: “As one Donegal participant told me, ‘most only talk about the winnings…and if they are in bother they will only talk about that if and when they find a way out of it’.”
Thirty two young men were involved in the study, only a snapshot of which has been revealed so far. The full publication is due later this year.
Dr McGee was quoted in a special feature on the issue of gambling in a recent edition of the Irish Independent newspaper.
“The first big findings after three years following these young men’s lives is that gambling has become culturally embedded and normalised in a way that’s really concerning,” said Dr McGee, who was a part of the Harps squad under manager Paul Hegarty during the 2007 season.
He said many young men have found themselves in huge financial and emotional upheaval as a result.
“Suicide rates are going up,” he said.
Describing Derry as “long been a city of absolute deprivation”, Dr McGee points to the fact that it has one of the highest rates of suicide in the UK.
“It has also one of the highest levels of bookies on the High Street. And it’s no coincidence that some of the most extreme stories from the study were located in Derry.”
Dr Darragh McGee who has conducted significant research into the link between gambling and young men.
The former Harps player insists that everything changed with the Gambling Act 2005 introduced in Britain by the Tony Blair Government.
“That decision to deregulate the gambling industry is, essentially, the watershed moment – we wouldn’t be here without that.”
The legislation allowed gambling firms to advertise freely on television and radio – a freedom that has been quickly snapped up. One of the UK’s biggest betting companies, Bet365, has introduced commercials which urge viewers to place bets during live matches. Gamblers are given the opportunity to bet on who is going to score the next goal or even win the next corner.
Anti-gambling campaigners claim it all leads to “irresponsible gambling”.
“There’s been a perfect storm, as I see it. There’s been a technological revolution thanks to smartphones and mobile apps and, at the same time, social media explodes so you’ve access to marketing companies, gambling or otherwise.”
Dr McGee said: “Since the turn of the millennium elite football is seen less as sport and more a part of the entertainment industry. Players have become more and more powerful.” One of Ireland and Britain’s major betting companies, Paddy Power recently announced an initiative, Save our Shirt, which called on betting companies to remove their logos from playing kits.
“I always take a step back from the gambling companies and ask, ‘what are you really up to here?’ It’s not hard to see what they’re up to. Paddy Power is already one of the big five,” he said.
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere
SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT EDITION TODAY
and get access to our archive editions dating back to 2007(CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW TO SUBSCRIBE)