Ireland’s gambling regulator is working with the country’s main banks to introduce a voluntary block feature on using credit and debit cards to gamble.

In an update on her work, Gambling Regulatory Authority chief executive designate Anne-Marie Caulfield said this would be a “valuable consumer protection measure”.

“ESRI research shows that the average spend by a person experiencing gambling harm is €1,000 [$1042] per month,” she said.

“We welcome the introduction by AIB and EBS of a voluntary block feature on debit and credit card transactions which are classified as linked to gambling. Revolut also gives customers the ability to implement a gambling block on their account.”