Northern Ireland to review 2022 gambling reform in 2027, minister says

Northern Ireland's Minister for Communities, Gordon Lyons, has confirmed that a comprehensive review of the country's 2022 gambling reform will be delivered next year. He made the commitment in reply to Sinn Féin MLA Phillip McGuigan during questions in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

According to Lyons, the review will assess how effective the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements Amendment Act 2022 has been. It is intended to produce an evidence-based analysis that can inform future policy work.

The Minister did not promise further gambling reforms. He pointed to the complexity of the sector and the speed at which it is changing. "It will be for a future Minister to determine the details of the gambling legislation that should be taken forward in the next mandate," he said. He added that he has instructed officials to keep scoping and gathering evidence on the statutory protections already in place. That work should help identify deficiencies that a future reform Bill might address, while the existing protections are maximised in the meantime.

Lyons' mandate runs until May 2027, and he indicated that a public health perspective will shape his approach. He described gambling as "very much a health issue as well" and said he would work with the Health Minister, citing its effects on people's lives, on the education of young people and on the physical and mental health of the population.

The source article highlights gaps in problem gambling support. A 2025 survey of 1,124 gamblers found that only 1% had contacted mental health services in the previous 12 months, which may point to stigma around seeking help, although the sample was small. England and Wales have specialised clinics for gambling harm and fund treatment through statutory levies and NHS commissioning, running to millions of pounds a year. Northern Ireland has no equivalent system.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has previously recommended similar measures for Northern Ireland, and the Department of Health has endorsed them. Experts and politicians nonetheless appear to agree that adopting them would be costly and would require restructuring the current gambling framework. According to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, 3% of the adult population are considered at-risk gamblers.