Assessment of gambling perspectives amongst elite Irish athletes; A qualitative analysis

Background: Problem gambling levels amongst elite athletes are above the populational baseline. These elevated rates may lead to increased financial and emotional strain. Aims: The aims of this study were to provide a qualitative analysis of elite GAA players on the impact of gambling in the GAA. Methods: An anonymous web-based questionnaire was distributed amongst elite Irish sports players. In a previous paper, we showed high problem gambling rates (5%) in this cohort (n = 608) compared to the general Irish population (1%). Problem gamblers were more likely to be male, smokers and less likely to have completed university. In this study, we qualitatively assess the impact of gambling on this cohort by analysing the free text comments of players. 68 comments were included for analysis. Results: A majority (n = 43, 63%) of respondents shared opinions regarding harms related to gambling. Other prevalent themes included gambling as an issue amongst elite Irish athletes (n = 32, 47%), gambling sponsorship of sports (n = 20, 29%), individual responsibility (n = 5, 7%), need for education on the topic (n = 5, 7%), dangers of online gambling (n = 4, 6%) and role of players representative body in combatting gambling issues (n = 4, 6%). Conclusion: These responses corroborate what is the concerning role of gambling in elite sports and suggest potential interventions to address the issue.