Irish Gambling Regulations

The online gambling legal landscape is constantly changing, and it can be a bit confusing to keep yourself up to date with the series of laws. In this guide, you will learn more about the gambling regulations in Ireland, how they protect consumers, ensure fair play, and maintain industry credibility. So, if you want to be kept abreast of the latest updates regarding online betting sites and casinos, this is your chance to find out more.

Irish Gambling Laws & Regulations Through the Years

The table goes from what is planned all the way down to the oldest laws. Betting and games over the internet or by phone fall under "Online". Betting shops, arcades, clubs, bingo halls and paper raffles come under "In person". Anything labelled "planned" or "not yet set" is set out in the 2024 Act but has not been brought into effect yet.

What Is Considered Gambling in Ireland?

Nine activities count as gambling under the National Drug and Alcohol Survey from the Health Research Board, which is the study the State relies on to measure gambling in Ireland. These are lottery tickets and scratch cards, online lottery games, betting in a bookmaker's shop, betting online or by phone, betting at a horse or dog race meeting, casino games, gaming or slot machines, card games for money with friends or family, and bingo.

Under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, the law divides all of this into three activities, and each activity carries its own GRAI licence type. The text below is taken directly from the Acts.

• Betting: putting money down on how an event will turn out, whether that's a football fixture or an election. The old Betting Act 1931 did nothing more than state that "bet" covers wager. Pool betting, the Tote format in which every stake is divided among the winners, also falls under betting licences, and Tote Ireland appears on the GRAI register.
• Gaming: under the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956, this means "playing a game (whether of skill or chance or partly of skill and partly of chance) for stakes hazarded by the players". Slots, roulette, blackjack, poker and bingo all fall under gaming, and a list of the games a licence holder is allowed to provide will be published by the GRAI.
• Lotteries: under the 1956 Act, a lottery "includes all competitions for money or money's worth involving guesses or estimates of future events or of past events the results of which are not yet ascertained or not yet generally known". This covers raffles, draws and charity lottos where a ticket is purchased and chance determines the prizes.
• Financial spread betting: this is not legally classed as gambling. When you spread bet on shares, currencies or indices, it counts as an investment product. The Central Bank of Ireland regulates it under the EU MiFID rules, which means the GRAI has no involvement.

Prediction markets, where you trade on the outcome of an event, are also classed as betting by the GRAI. The National Lottery stands as the single major exception. It operates under a separate Act and a separate regulator, which means none of the GRAI guidance in this article relates to the Lotto.

Recent Changes to Gambling Laws in Ireland in 2026

2026 is when the 2024 Act moved from blueprint to enforcement. The GRAI gained its powers in February, and the first licences came into force in July. Below is what is already active and what has yet to get a start date.

What Is Already in Force

• 5 February 2026. The Minister for Justice signed the first commencement order (S.I. 31/2026). This brought the GRAI's licensing, complaints and enforcement functions into effect, along with the prohibition on using a credit card to pay for gambling, the ban on children gambling or being employed by gambling operators, and the provision that allows you to set a personal spending limit with an online operator.
• 9 February 2026. Remote betting, remote betting intermediary and in-person betting licence applications can now be submitted through the operator portal launched by the GRAI.
• 30 June 2026. The Social Impact Fund became fully operational under a second commencement order (S.I. 304/2026). Funding for problem gambling research, awareness and treatment comes from the payments made by commercial licence holders.
• 1 July 2026. Remote betting licences from the GRAI came into force. As of that date, any bookmaker operating online or by phone, along with betting exchanges, needs a GRAI licence to accept bets from Ireland, and all commenced duties under the Act apply to them. Licences were first granted on 1 July and are valid for a three-year period.

The GRAI now has the power to look into complaints made against licensed operators. It can hand out non-compliance notices, suspend or revoke licences, levy fines, and bring unlicensed operators before the High Court.

What Is Still to Come

• In-person betting licences starting 1 December 2026. As their Revenue licences run out, betting shops will switch over to GRAI licences.
• Gaming, lottery, B2B and charity licences running through 2027 and 2028. For online casinos, poker and bingo, this is the stage that counts. Up to that point, there is no Irish licence available for those products.
• Advertising rules. The Act contains the watershed, the social media opt-in requirement, the prohibition on branded children's merchandise and the restrictions on sponsoring children's events, yet none of these have been commenced.
• Rules on inducements and sponsorship. The part that prevents operators from targeting you, or a group of you, with free bets and other inducements has not come into force yet. The sponsorship section is also not in force.
• National Gambling Exclusion Register. The section of the Act that establishes it has not yet been commenced. According to the GRAI, it is developing the systems that will support it.

Is Online Gambling Legal in Ireland?

Yes. In Ireland, anyone who is 18 or older is allowed to bet or play online. The change that came in 2026 applies to operators. To accept your bets, an online bookmaker or betting exchange must now hold a GRAI licence, and running without one is a criminal offence.

Online casino, poker and bingo operators sit in a separate category. They fall under the Act, yet the GRAI has not yet started accepting gaming licence applications, which means no Irish online casino licence is available at present. As a result, the casinos Irish players visit hold licences from authorities based elsewhere, Malta or Curaçao for instance, and the Irish safeguards outlined further on in this guide do not currently extend to them.

Let's be clear about one thing. Under the Act, the licensing offences apply to the operator offering gambling without a licence, not to the punter. We came across nothing in the Act that criminalises you just for using an unlicensed site. What it does mean is that you lose the GRAI's protections, and you have no route to complain to the regulator if things go wrong.

Online Gambling Regulations in Ireland by Game Type

The way the law applies now varies from product to product, largely because licences are being introduced one category at a time. Here is where each one currently stands.

Online Sports Betting

As of today, this is the sole online product holding an Irish licence. From 1 July 2026, any bookmaker accepting online or telephone bets from Ireland is required to have a GRAI remote betting licence, while a betting exchange needs a remote betting intermediary licence. Our download of the GRAI register on 15 September 2026 showed 34 licences held by 33 operators: 31 for remote betting and 3 for betting exchanges. The list includes Bet365, Paddy Power, Betfair, BoyleSports, Ladbrokes, William Hill, Sky Bet, Betway, Unibet and the Tote.

A licensed bookmaker has to check your age and identity, allow you to set a spending limit, turn down credit cards, settle your winnings without unreasonable delay and shut your account on request. The rights section below covers all of this. Every licence is valid for three years, and the issue and expiry dates appear on the register.

Online Casinos and Slots

No Irish online casino licence exists at present. According to the GRAI, applications for gaming licences will become available across 2027 and 2028. In the meantime, the body is cooperating with the Revenue Commissioners, which continues to issue gaming licences under the 1956 Act. Once the remote gaming licence is introduced, it will apply to slots, roulette, blackjack and the remaining games set out on a list that the GRAI will make public.

Until Irish-issued casino licences exist, the sites you can access from Ireland operate under permits granted by other regulators. That means the terms, the way you make a complaint and the safeguards you receive are set by that regulator and by the casino's own rules, rather than by Irish law. Every licence a site holds is listed in our online casino reviews, so you can verify it on your own.

Online Poker

Poker falls under the Act as gaming, which puts it in the same queue as casinos. There is no Irish online poker licence, and none can be granted until the gaming phase begins. The divide is visible on the GRAI register. PartyPoker's sports betting operation is listed under a remote betting licence, but its poker room is absent, since no licence exists for it to hold at this point.

As things stand, an online poker room that serves Ireland holds a licence overseas, so Irish regulations covering limits, credit cards and account closure do not apply to it.

Online Bingo

Online bingo counts as gaming too, so it operates on the same schedule as casinos and poker. Bingo played for charity in a hall sits under different rules. Until the GRAI's charity and lottery licences become available, it is covered by the lottery permits and licences set out in the 1956 Act, as amended in 2019. Each online bingo room's regulator is listed in our bingo site reviews.

Prediction Markets and Crypto Gambling Sites

The GRAI considers a prediction market, in which you purchase and sell positions on whether an event will occur, to be a remote betting intermediary that requires a GRAI licence. Unlicensed operators have been instructed to block Irish users, or else face enforcement action, up to and including High Court orders. In July 2026, both Polymarket and Kalshi restricted Ireland. Deposits and the opening of new positions are no longer possible for Irish accounts.

No dedicated legislation exists for crypto gambling operators. Any sportsbook accepting wagers in cryptocurrency must hold a GRAI licence, exactly the same as every other bookmaker. As for a crypto casino, an Irish licence is not available at present, and the same holds true for any other online casino. Crypto and e-wallet payments are already covered by one existing rule. Under the credit card ban, any electronic or digital payment funded by money loaded from a credit card falls within scope, meaning a licensed bookmaker is not permitted to accept a wallet you topped up in that way.

How to Check if a Betting Site Is Licensed

The register of licence holders is published by the GRAI and refreshed whenever a new licence is granted. Verifying a bookmaker only takes a minute.

1. Check the register using the trading name you recognise, rather than only the company name. Paddy Power and Betfair, for instance, are listed under PPB Counterparty Services Limited.
2. Check for a licence number in the GRAI format, for example GRAI-0622-RB-26-0001, and make sure the expiry date has not already passed.
3. Verify the activity column. A bookmaker is listed as "Remote Betting". An exchange is listed as "Remote Betting Intermediary".
4. Check the licence information against what appears in the site's footer or terms. A licensed operator will display its GRAI details in that spot.

Any bookmaker accepting Irish bets that isn't listed on the register has no business operating here. You can flag it via the GRAI's general enquiries form. Bear in mind this check applies to betting only. A well-run online casino still won't appear on the GRAI register, since no casino licence exists yet. When it comes to casinos, look at the licence number and match it against the regulator named in the site's footer.

How to Choose a Legal and Safe Online Casino in Ireland

With the legal side of gambling in Ireland now clearer, where should you go to enjoy your favourite games? We have put together several factors to help you as you start the difficult job of picking a casino that is both safe and legal.

Checking for Licensing and Regulation

The first thing you should be on the lookout for is licensing information. The GRAI does not license online casinos yet, so every casino open to Irish players holds its licence from a regulator outside Ireland. Most times, you will find the licensing information at the footer of the page. If not, head over to the Terms and Conditions section to find out which regulatory authority licenses the site, then check the licence number on that regulator's own register. Some regulatory authorities include:

• The United Kingdom Gambling Commission
• The Malta Gaming Authority
• The Curacao eGaming Control Board
• The Kahnawake Gaming Commission

Importance of Fair Play and RNG Audits

One more certification worth looking at comes from an accredited testing lab. iTechLabs, eCOGRA, and QUINEL are among the names in this group. When one of these third-party testers gives its stamp of approval, it shows the games rely on random number generators (RNGs). Those RNGs produce unpredictable outcomes and keep the games fair for players.

Payment Methods and Security

The payment options available play a big role in picking a casino. That means checking a site offers safe, secure ways to deposit and withdraw before you open an account. Visa and Mastercard debit cards are among the common choices, along with e-wallets like Neteller and PayPal, plus bank transfer. One thing to keep in mind: a bookmaker holding a GRAI licence is not allowed to accept credit cards, and the same restriction will apply to any casino operating under an Irish licence once the gaming phase begins.

Player Protections and Consumer Rights

The Gambling Regulation Act 2024 grants these rights, and they apply when you play with a GRAI-licensed operator. The GRAI sets them out as the obligations it is able to investigate at present. Sites that don't hold a GRAI licence are not covered by them.

Age and ID Checks

In Ireland, you have to be at least 18 to gamble. No licensed online operator can accept a bet from you unless you hold an account, and before opening one it has to check both your age and your identity. So be ready to provide photo ID that shows your name and date of birth, along with proof of address. Any operator that allows a child to gamble is committing an offence that can carry a prison sentence of up to eight years.

Payments, Credit Cards and Spending Limits

A licensed operator is not allowed to accept credit cards, offer you credit, or take payments via an e-wallet or app that has been topped up with a credit card. It has to provide a way for you to set a spending limit, whether that applies to one bet or to everything you spend with the operator. You decide how long the limit lasts, and during that period the operator must not let you increase it or remove it. Cash machines are also prohibited inside gambling premises under the Act, unless the licence expressly permits one.

Withdrawals, Winnings and Closing Your Account

A licensed operator cannot unreasonably withhold your winnings. The one exception the GRAI names is where it spots a suspicious betting pattern, which it must report. It must close your account when you ask in writing, and it must close any account that has not been used for 13 months. It has to give you its terms and conditions when you first use the service and again each time they change, and it must show a link to parental control software on its homepage.

How to Make a Complaint

The GRAI won't get involved in disputes between you and a bookmaker, so your first step is the operator's own complaints process. If a GRAI-licensed operator has breached one of the obligations listed above, and that breach took place after 1 July 2026, you can bring your complaint to the GRAI via its complaints page. Before anything else, the GRAI verifies three points: whether the operator appears on its register, whether the breach occurred after the licence was issued, and whether the rule in question has commenced. For complaints about unlicensed sites, use the general enquiries form instead.

What to Do if Your Betting Site Leaves Ireland

At least one operator has already exited as a result of the shift to GRAI licensing. In June 2026, Betfred informed customers it was "taking a temporary pause in the Irish market" as it brought itself in line with the new regulations. The operator urged them to withdraw balances before 30 June and confirmed that open World Cup bets would be honoured. Prediction markets took the opposite approach, freezing Irish accounts and blocking any new deposits or positions.

If your site announces it is leaving, do these things in order.

1. Take out your entire balance right now, ahead of the shutdown date.
2. Capture a screenshot of each active wager, showing the stake, odds and settlement date.
3. Check the operator's shutdown announcement to see how open wagers will be settled.
4. If a withdrawal won't go through, get in touch with support in writing and save the responses.
5. Where a GRAI licence was held by the operator at the time, the obligation to pay winnings stands, and a complaint can be taken up by the GRAI. If the operator was unlicensed, going directly to the operator is your only option.

Online Gambling Advertising, Bonus and Free Bet Rules

The advertising and inducement provisions make up the largest section of the 2024 Act that has yet to be commenced. Nothing listed below is currently in force. While that remains the case, free bets and sign-up offers stay legal and operate exactly as before, in line with each operator's terms. Our free bets guide lets you compare the offers available right now.

Once commenced, the Act will:

• Prohibit gambling advertisements on TV, radio and on-demand platforms from 5.30am until 9pm.
• Permit gambling advertising on social media and video platforms solely for users who hold an account and have opted to follow or subscribe to the operator.
• Prohibit advertisements that make gambling look appealing to minors, promote compulsive or excessive play, or deceive the public.
• Prevent an operator from giving you personally, or a particular group of people, an inducement like a free bet. Only offers made to the general public will be permitted, and only under rules set by the Minister.
• Prohibit gambling-branded merchandise designed for minors, along with sponsorship of events, teams and clubs involving children.

The GRAI is granted authority under the Act to impose additional restrictions on when, where and how often gambling advertisements appear. Any breach of the advertising regulations constitutes a criminal offence, carrying a maximum penalty of five years.

Betting Shops, Gaming Machines and Lotteries

Offline gambling is, at this point in time, still governed by the previous legislation. This part brings all of that together.

Betting Shops and In-Person Bookmakers

Licences held by betting shops and on-course bookmakers are still issued by the Revenue Commissioners under the Betting Act 1931. The 1931 Act was repealed on 5 February 2026, but those licences remain valid until their expiry date, and from 1 December 2026 the GRAI will begin issuing in-person betting licences, as the Department of Justice announced in February 2026. The application window opened on 9 February 2026. When a shop is granted a GRAI licence, the same rules on age checks, credit and winnings apply. The bookmaker, not you, pays betting duty of 2% on each bet.

Gaming Machines, Arcades and Card Clubs

Arcades, gaming machines and card clubs are governed by the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956, which was updated by the 2019 amendment that came into force on 1 December 2020. Revenue issues gaming licences, while An Garda Síochána issues gaming permits, and stake and prize caps apply to both. The GRAI explains the existing licence types on its site. A Garda gaming permit, for instance, caps the stake at €10 a game and limits any player's winnings to €3,000. Anyone under 18 is barred from playing. No casino licence exists among the current licences. The GRAI's in-person gaming licence, expected in the 2027 to 2028 phase, will be the first Irish licence for offering games on a premises.

Raffles, Charity Lotteries and the National Lottery

A club or charity may currently hold a raffle with no permit at all, provided the total prize value does not exceed €1,000, tickets are priced at no more than €5, no more than 1,500 tickets are sold, the proceeds are used for a charitable or philanthropic purpose, and no individual makes a personal profit. Beyond those limits, a Garda lottery permit is required, under which weekly prizes are capped at €5,000. Alternatively, a District Court lottery licence permits up to €30,000 per week, or €360,000 for a single annual draw. Once the 2024 Act takes effect, charity lotteries will fall under a GRAI licence and the no-permit threshold will rise to €2,000, though that section has yet to be commenced. None of this applies to the National Lottery, which operates separately under the National Lottery Act 2013 and is overseen by its own regulator.

The GRAI and the Gambling Regulation Act 2024

The Gambling Regulation Act 2024 became law on 23 October 2024. It established the GRAI, introduced a single licensing regime covering betting, gaming and lotteries, and put the player protections outlined above into legislation. Its provisions take effect in stages, which explains why this guide draws such a clear line between what is already in force and what is still to come.

The GRAI carries out the following duties:

• Regulating and licensing every type of gambling in Ireland, with the exception of the National Lottery
• Restricting children's access to gambling
• Helping those impacted by problem gambling
• Restricting advertising and sponsorship for gambling
• Running the Social Impact Fund and the National Gambling Exclusion Register

Who Runs the GRAI

The GRAI operates as an independent statutory body within the Department of Justice, with its offices at Ballaugh House, 73 Mount Street Lower, Dublin 2. On 5 March 2025, a seven-member Authority chaired by Paul Quinn began its term. Among its members are a former commissioner with the Media Commission, a Senior Counsel, a clinical psychologist heading HSE addiction services, and the one-time chair of the gaming industry's trade body. The chief executive is Anne Marie Caulfield, formerly of the Residential Tenancies Board. Licensing, enforcement and anti-money laundering fall under one director, while compliance and complaints fall under another. Three core aims are set out for the GRAI by the Act: gambling that is fair and safe, action against problem gambling, and preventing gambling from being a source of, or support to, crime.

Licence Types and When They Start

The Act creates three groups of licence.

• Business to Consumer licences are for operators that serve the public. Betting comes in three forms: remote betting, remote betting intermediary and in-person betting. Gaming is split into in-person and remote types. Lottery licences cover both in-person and remote draws. Remote betting began on 1 July 2026, in-person betting begins on 1 December 2026, and gaming and lottery licences open across 2027 and 2028, according to the GRAI's licensing timetable.
• Business to Business licences are intended for suppliers, including software and platform providers. According to the GRAI, these will not be included in the initial phases.
• Charitable and philanthropic licences cover fundraising lotteries, betting and gaming. They too become available during the 2027 to 2028 phase, and those who hold them will be exempt from payments into the Social Impact Fund.

Key Rules for Licensed Online Operators

Before issuing a licence, the GRAI confirms the operator is fit and proper, holds enough funds to run the business and pay out winnings, and that those winnings come from lawful sources. After licensing, an operator has to follow rules designed to keep entertainment and player protection in balance. A short overview follows:

• Protection of player data: Operators are required to confirm your identity, maintain accurate records and accounts, and store your personal details in line with data protection legislation.
• Fair and honest trading: The operator has to flag any suspicious betting activity to the GRAI, inform the GRAI of any business changes, provide staff training, and settle winning payouts without undue delay.
• Responsible gambling measures: It must give you a spending limit you set yourself that cannot be lifted early, refuse credit cards and credit, and close your account when you ask.
• Compliance with anti-money laundering (AML) legislation: Licensed operators are required to observe Ireland's anti-money laundering rules as set out in the Gambling Regulation Act 2024. Customer due diligence and the reporting of suspicious transactions both fall under this obligation.
• Social Impact Fund: An annual payment into the fund is required.

It must also comply with all player protections outlined in the rights section above, along with the advertising and inducement rules once those take effect.

Powers and Penalties

The GRAI has the power to issue non-compliance notices, attach conditions to a licence, suspend or revoke it, and hand down financial penalties reaching €20 million or 10% of the operator's turnover, whichever is greater. Prosecution is another option open to it. Running betting, gaming or a lottery without a licence can lead to up to eight years in prison on conviction, and the same applies to letting a child gamble. For advertising offences, the maximum is up to five years. The GRAI may also petition the High Court for an order forcing an unlicensed operator to cease trading, and it has confirmed that live investigations into black market gambling are ongoing. Sanctions can be challenged by operators through an independent appeals system.

Do You Pay Tax on Gambling Winnings in Ireland?

No. Under Section 613 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, winnings from betting, lotteries, sweepstakes and games with prizes are not chargeable gains, which means a regular punter keeps the full amount. The tax is collected on the other side of the counter instead. On every bet taken from a person in Ireland, whether in a shop or online, bookmakers pay betting duty of 2%, while betting exchanges pay 25% of the commission they charge Irish customers. Those rates have been in place since 1 January 2019. Where gambling is your trade rather than your hobby, the situation is less straightforward, and professional advice is advisable. Our gambling tax guide covers the detail.

Responsible Gambling in Ireland

In 2023 the ESRI put the number of Irish adults meeting the threshold for problem gambling at roughly 130,000, or one in thirty. That is ten times higher than the previous estimate, and it was a major factor behind the 2024 Act. Certain protections under the Act are already in force while others have yet to arrive, so knowing which tools are available right now is useful.

Blocking Tools and Bank Gambling Blocks

• Gambling blocks from your bank. You can stop gambling transactions on your card with AIB, Bank of Ireland, EBS, PTSB and Revolut. This is done either in the app or over the phone. The numbers are listed by the GRAI on its protection tools page.
• Software to block gambling. Gambling sites and apps won't load on your devices when BetBlocker or Gamban is installed.
• Operator limits. Every GRAI-licensed bookmaker must let you set a spending limit that it cannot lift early. Most licensed and offshore sites also offer time-outs and self-exclusion.
• Social media preferences. You can disable gambling advertising on Facebook, Instagram, Google and X. Instructions for every platform are available on the GRAI page mentioned above.
• National Gambling Exclusion Register. Not yet in operation. Once it launches, a single sign-up will bar you from all licensed online operators.

What to Do if You Have a Gambling Problem in Ireland

Support is free and confidential. These are the Irish services that the GRAI itself directs people towards.

• GamblingCare.ie National Helpline, 1800 936 725, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Set up in March 2019 and financed by the Gambling Awareness Trust, GamblingCare.ie provides counselling by phone, online and in person, along with group support and referrals to residential programmes nationwide. gamblingcare.ie
• Extern Problem Gambling, 089 241 5401, a call-back service operating Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm, offering free specialist counselling plus a dedicated Women's Gambling Support Network. problemgambling.ie
• Gamblers Anonymous Ireland runs free meetings nationwide. Dublin 01 872 1133. gamblersanonymous.ie
• HSE Addiction Services deliver specialist treatment via the public health system.
• Samaritans, 116 123, 24 hours a day, if you are in distress. samaritans.org
• MABS, 0818 07 2000, for free advice on debt and money. mabs.ie

For further information, see our guides on getting help with gambling, how to quit gambling and underage gambling.

Irish Gambling Regulations FAQs