A charity set up by families bereaved by gambling-related suicides has warned of the dangers of gambling advertising for young people as it launches a pilot education programme in schools in Northern Ireland.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, head of education at Gambling With Lives James Grimes said that the charity aims to inform young people about 'the truth behind the marketing practices' in an effort to try to prevent gambling causing harm to young people.
The peer-reviewed programme is aimed at teenagers aged between 14 and 16 and will look at the commercial determinants of harm, which are the products that can lead to addiction and the "normalisation process".
He said parents bereaved by gambling-related suicide believe that a lack of information and education "killed their children".
"It is our duty to go and tell as many people as possible about how these products work, the truth behind the marketing practice and show a positive sign of help, support and treatment," he said.
Mr Grimes said he had a 12-year gambling addiction which began at the age of 15.
He explained that his problem started with small, casual football bets but then moved on to roulette machines in bookmakers and then to online gambling.
"The normalisation and addictiveness of the products caused my addiction," he added.
"My brain was screaming out to me to gamble at all hours of the day. It completely consumed me and destroyed my education, I lost relationships and career prospects," Mr Grimes said.
He said he lost all his money before eventually seeking help after realising he could not "control himself and could not stop using these products".
"There is hope, there is help and there is life after gambling and it was a case of being honest with myself and being honest with people," he added.
Mr Grimes said there is an option to bring the education programme south of the border after the pilot programme in the North commences.
