Gambling arcade plans withdrawn after negative reception from the community

Planning permission for a proposed gambling arcade in Ballyfermot has been withdrawn after a negative reception from councillors and the community.

The arcade was intended to be opened on Ballyfermot Road on the site of a vacant butchers and deli.

The planning notice placed in the window of the site was met with strong backlash from local representatives, such as Councillors Daithí Doolan and Ray Cunningham.

Both councillors welcomed the news on Wednesday, with Cllr Doolan especially satisfied with the unanimous “cross-party” support the movement against the arcade had.

Cllr Doolan said: “When we unite on issues like this, we preserve the dignity of our office and the city and the people we represent and the communities we work for.

“So, much appreciated because sometimes people are a bit flippant around gambling, and I’ve seen it be so intrinsically linked to other services.”

A study published by the Economic and Social Research Institute from 2023 estimated that one in 30 adults suffer from a gambling addiction.

Gambling was identified in 23 coroner files in Ireland of deaths by suicide over a six year period between 2015 and 2020 inclusive, according to a national study published earlier this year.

Cllr Doolan noted links between gambling and other issues such as substance abuse, recognised by researchers worldwide.

“You win, you’re delighted, so you pick up. You walk out angry, you pick up because you’re angry, so there’s no in-between.”

Councillor Vincent Jackson said that he has asked for a retail strategy for years along Ballyfermot Road and has not been able to get anywhere on the issue with the council.

The local councillor also noted that five schools in the village that he chairs were against the arcade.

One of those schools caters to 1150 students and is situated on the same road as the site was.

Cllr Jackson congratulated all those who campaigned against the proposed gambling arcade.

“Well done to all concerned, that’s definitely a good day there.”

The former Lord Mayor of Dublin provided a personal anecdote about his brother, who was addicted to gambling.

Cllr Jackson shared: “As a kid, my mother, God be good to her, used to send me over to see could I get him away from the machines.

“He put his wages in, I’d say for nine months, and he wasn’t in a good place mentally and everything else.

“I see the damage at first hand that these machines do. I see what it does within families. It doesn’t do anything. There is no benefit to anybody.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.