Inquiry into public health approaches to tackling gambling-related harm: 4th oral evidence session

Date: Monday 27 March 2023

Time: 12:00pm

Location: Zoom

Chairperson: Philip McGuigan MLA

Minutes taken by: James Mayne, Chambré

Members Present

·        Philip McGuigan MLA

·        Danny Donnelly MLA

Apologies

·        Robbie Butler MLA

·        Nick Mathison MLA

·        Stephen Dunne MLA

Secretariat

·        Will Chambré – Chambré

·        James Mayne - Chambré

·        Dara Keeve – Chambré

·        Rohan Boyle - Chambré

External Guests

·        Barry Grant – Extern Problem Gambling

·        Charles Ritchie – Gambling with Lives

·        Chris McAfee

·        Emer Boyle – Committee for Communities

·        Fiona Geary - Dunlewey Addiction Services

·        Karan Chhabra

·        Katie Reynolds-Jones - GamStop

·        Kev Clelland - YGAM

·        Kevin Brookfield

·        Liz Ritchie – Gambling with Lives

·        Lynne Hackworth – Department of Education

·        Mark McQuade – Committee for Education

·        Martin Jones – Gambling with Lives

·        Maura Brown

·        Maura McMenamin – Ulster GAA

·        Martina Campbell – Department for Communities

·        Michael Smyth – Department for Communities

·        Nadine Gilmore

·        Nick Harvey – Gambling with Lives

·        Peter Keogh – Gambling with Lives

·        Sharon Hughes – Education Authority

·        Steve Watts - GamFam

·        Will Prochaska – Gambling with Lives

Minutes

1.      Welcome

Philip McGuigan MLA welcomed members to the meeting.

2.      Minutes of last meeting

Members agreed that the minutes of the last meeting (13 March) were a true and accurate representation of that meeting. Proposed by Danny Donnelly MLA and seconded by Philip McGuigan MLA. 

4.      Matters arising

None.

5.      Introductory remarks

The Chairperson opened by recapping the third oral evidence session on the APG’s inquiry into public health approaches to tackling gambling-related harms in NI on 13 March. He then introduced Steve Watts from GamFam, Liz Ritchie and Will Prochaska from Gambling With Lives.

6.      Inquiry into public health approaches to gambling-related harms in NI: 4th oral evidence session - The impact of gambling on health and wellbeing:

The following presented:

Steve Watts, Founder and CEO of GamFAM

Liz Ritchie, Co-Founder and Co-Chair of Trustees of Gambling with Lives

Will Prochaska, Strategy Director at Gambling with Lives

The witnesses then took questions from members.

The Chair thanked the speakers for their presentations, and members for their questions

7.      AOB

None

8.      Next meeting

The next meeting will take place on Monday 3 April at 12:00.