A baseline study on NIFL footballers’ mental health and gambling harm

Gambling harm is an increasing concern in elite and performance sport, yet little is known about its scope or its relationship to mental health in footballers in Northern Ireland (NI), a region marked by high levels of mental ill-health and growing cultural acceptance of gambling. This study presents the first empirical examination of gambling behaviours and associated mental health risks among elite/performance male and female players in the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL). Using a cross-sectional survey of 283 athletes across all four NIFL competitions, we assessed gambling harm with the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) and measured symptoms of anxiety and depression using validated mental health scales.
Findings revealed that 63% of players had gambled in the past year, with 13% classified as moderate-to-high risk according to the PGSI. High-risk gamblers were predominantly male, older, and less likely to be employed outside of football. The majority of participants used mobile apps for gambling, with early exposure (before age 18) as well as engagement with online promotional offers, being strongly associated with harm. Nearly 25% of respondents reported significant mental health symptoms, with a small subset experiencing both gambling issues and mental health problems simultaneously.
Our research emphasises how cultural norms, the ease of accessing digital gambling, and football’s commercial relationships with gambling sponsorship and advertising shape perceptions. Although many respondents recalled gambling promotions across a variety of media, most felt that sponsorship of football by gambling companies was inappropriate, highlighting a conflict between commercial interests and athlete well-being.
This study contributes to calls for gambling research that considers specific social and cultural contexts by offering insights from a politically and culturally distinct sporting environment. Our results point to the urgent need for screening, education, and regulations to minimise gambling-related harm in football. We offer recommendations to policymakers, researchers, and practitioners seeking to minimise the impact of gambling harm on football.