The Irish Banking Culture Board (IBCB), together with its member banks AIB, Bank of Ireland and PTSB, has launched the Common Commitment of Care for Problem Gambling. The initiative aims to provide consistent and compassionate support to customers affected by problem gambling, reinforcing the banking sector’s role in tackling this important social issue.
The new framework commits banks to practical measures such as dedicated support phone lines, trained staff, voluntary card blocking, and signposting to trusted external services like Gambling Care and MABS.
Speaking at the event, Marion Kelly, CEO of the Irish Banking Culture Board, said: “Problem gambling can cause serious harm to individuals, families and communities. IBCB member banks recognise their responsibility to respond with compassion and practical support when customers reach out for help.
This Common Commitment of Care ensures that anyone experiencing gambling difficulties will find clear, accessible supports to assistance through their bank. The introduction of a voluntary card block by AIB, Bank of Ireland and PTSB will make an important contribution to those experiencing problem gambling and IBCB calls on other financial services players to put in similar measures”
The ESRI in October 2023 estimated that 3% of the adult Irish population (130,000) were struggling with problem gambling. Additionally, another 279,000 adults are exhibiting moderate evidence of problem gambling.
Problem gamblers spend over €1k per month on average, to support their addiction. The CSO confirms the average net monthly income of €2,990 across Ireland.
Other developing trends confirm over 20% of 16 year olds have gambled for money in the last 12 months.
Website information
Customer support phone line
Trained staff
Voluntary Card Blocking
IT Enhancements
Bank
Support phone line to talk about problem gambling
Bank of Ireland
0818 200 423
01 250 0423
PTSB
0818 818 721
From abroad: + 353 1 655 0581
For more information on the IBCB’s Common Commitment of Care for Problem Gambling, please visit our website:
The IBCB’s Common Commitment of Care builds on its wider mission to enhance trust, fairness and transparency in Irish banking. By standardising the way banks support vulnerable customers, the initiative ensures consistency and reliability, while also directing people towards specialist services such as Gambling Care’s 24/7 helpline and MABS’s free debt and budgeting advice.
The launch reflects a strong commitment by AIB, Bank of Ireland PTSB to support customers impacted by gambling addiction. With collaboration between industry, regulators, government and support organisations, the IBCB and its member banks hope to create lasting, positive change in how problem gambling is addressed in Ireland.
In August 2024, AIB, a leading retail Bank in Ireland and a member of the Irish Banking Culture Board (IBCB), announced a series of measures to support customers who were challenged by problem gambling, including the introduction of voluntary debit card blocking on registered gambling websites. This simple but powerful intervention enabled individuals to take an immediate step to reduce the financial harm.
What began as a single-bank initiative prompted a wider industry response which led to the IBCB undertaking a review into the nature and scale of problem gambling in Ireland. The findings supported concerns that problem gambling was a significant and growing challenge, affecting not only individuals, but families, workplaces and communities.
In response, the IBCB, in partnership with its member banks, AIB, Bank of Ireland and PTSB developed the Common Commitment of Care for Problem Gambling, which was launched in September 2025. The aim sets out to help those customers struggling with problem gambling and ensures that any customer, regardless of which bank they use, can access consistent, practical and compassionate support.
The Irish Banking Culture Board was established in 2019 as an independent body, in response to a prolonged erosion of public trust originally following the 2008 Great Financial Crisis and thereafter, subsequent industry challenges that faced the domestic banks. The IBCB mission is to rebuild trust and confidence among customers, while restoring pride in the sector for the 20,000 staff working across Ireland’s main retail banks.
Today, its member banks include AIB, Bank of Ireland and PTSB. While the banking landscape has evolved in recent years, the determination to support the customer has remained constant. Initiatives such as the Common Commitment of Care demonstrate how the sector can work collectively to respond to complex social challenges in a meaningful way.
Gambling has deep cultural roots in Ireland. From horse racing and sporting events to community-based activities such as bingo or card games, it has long formed part of social interaction and local identity. For many, it remains a recreational activity enjoyed responsibly.
However, the landscape has shifted. The traditional experience of placing a bet in a physical location has increasingly been replaced by online platforms, driven by smartphone technology and digital accessibility. This evolution has brought convenience—but it has also reduced barriers to entry, increasing exposure and risk for some individuals.
While the majority of people engage in gambling without harm, a significant minority experience behaviours that can escalate into serious financial and emotional consequences. It serves as a reminder that Problem Gambling is recognized as a significant public health issue. It is a behavioural addiction characterized by persistent, uncontrollable gambling that causes harm to the individual, their family and society posing health problems, financial difficulties and social harms.
Research from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) provides a clearer picture on the size of the cohort in Ireland:
These figures underline a critical point: while gambling is widely participated in, there is a substantial cohort for whom it presents real and escalating risks.
The impact extends far beyond the individual. Problem gambling can damage relationships, disrupt employment, place strain on finances and significantly affect mental health. It is, in many cases, a hidden issue—one that often remains unspoken until its consequences become severe and overwhelming.
The financial implications are stark. In Ireland, average net monthly income is c.€3,000, while those individuals who are struggling with problem gambling spend c.€1,000 per month on gambling activities. For many, this level of expenditure is simply unsustainable without reliance on additional credit or other forms of financial coping mechanisms.
This is particularly concerning in the context of ongoing cost-of-living pressures, which continue to rank among the top financial concerns for households. The IBCB undertakes an annual Éist Public Trust in Banking survey with the cost of living regularly featuring as the most pressing financial concern for consumers. The combination of financial vulnerability and gambling behaviour can create a cycle that is difficult to break without support.
The human impact is equally significant. Evidence from the Institute of Public Health has linked gambling to a number of suicide cases in Ireland, reinforcing the seriousness of this issue and the need for coordinated, accessible intervention.
Against this backdrop, the IBCB and its member banks came together to develop the Common Commitment of Care, which is a practical framework of measures, designed to support customers experiencing gambling-related harm.
At its core, the framework ensures that every customer can expect a consistent level of support, regardless of their bank. This is delivered through six key components:
Together, these measures not only provide immediate assistance and reduce the risk of financial harm but also set out to reduce stigma and encourage earlier engagement with support services.
Six months on from its launch, the Common Commitment of Care is making a tangible difference. Nearly 10,000 customers have activated voluntary card blocking, demonstrating both awareness of and demand for practical tools that support behaviour change.
Feedback from customers, families and advocacy groups has been overwhelmingly positive. In some cases, individuals have described the intervention as life-changing, highlighting the real-world impact of relatively simple but well-designed support mechanisms.
The initiative has also been recognized by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland as an example of effective industry collaboration and emerging best practice.
While progress is encouraging, this remains a long-term challenge. Gambling behaviours continue to evolve, and the tools used to support customers must evolve alongside them.
The IBCB is committed to extending the principles of the Common Commitment of Care beyond its current member banks, including engagement with other financial institutions such as credit unions. There is also significant potential to harness technology and data in a responsible way to further enhance customer protections.
Ultimately, this initiative represents more than a set of interventions—it signals a shift in how the banking sector can approach customer well-being. It demonstrates that meaningful collaboration, underpinned by a shared sense of responsibility, can deliver tangible outcomes for individuals and society.
As the sector continues to rebuild trust, initiatives such as this play a critical role in showing that banks can be proactive partners in addressing complex social issues—supporting customers not only in managing their finances, but in navigating the challenges that can impact their lives more broadly.