The introduction of internet poker, casinos and gambling with credit cards have all made it increasingly difficult for people with gambling problems to quit the habit, Gamblers Anonymous (GA) has said.
The group is holding a series of open meetings around Dublin this month in a bid to raise awareness of the issue and to highlight the help available.
A spokesman, who asked to remain anonymous in keeping with GA policy, said the opportunities for gambling had increased dramatically in recent years.
"There are casinos going up everywhere. When I came to the fellowship over 20 years ago, there was no such thing as the lotto, not to mention the internet," said "Martin".
He began gambling at the age of eight when he learned to play poker. It took him 34 years to stop, during which time he lost several jobs, his wife briefly threw him out of the house and he ended up sleeping rough.
He stopped gambling when he went to a GA meeting and received treatment from the Rutland Centre. Now he does voluntary work with Gamblers Anonymous.
He said the most common forms of gambling still involved horse and dog racing, but the internet had become increasingly popular.
"You can just lock yourself in a room and play poker on the internet to your heart's content," he said. GA advises gamblers with credit cards to destroy them so that they will not be tempted to go online and run up huge gambling debts.
Martin also warned parents to monitor their children's use of computer games and said they could provide a gateway into gambling.
Thursday marks the 50th anniversary of the first Gamblers Anonymous meeting in the US and some Irish members will travel to New York to celebrate the occasion. Martin is going with his wife as "a second honeymoon, because she spent our first honeymoon standing outside the bookies' shop waiting for me".
• Gamblers Anonymous can be contacted at 01-8721133 or via the website www.gamblersanonymous.ie
