Gambling Laws in Ireland

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general educational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. We are not legal professionals, and gambling laws can be complex, subject to interpretation, and frequently updated. Readers are encouraged to consult a qualified legal professional or relevant government authorities to ensure they fully understand the current laws and regulations regarding gambling in Ireland. Always gamble responsibly and stay informed of any legal changes that may affect you.

Irish gambling laws are about to get their biggest shake-up ever. While gambling has been regulated in Ireland since 1854, gambling laws are a bit of a mess. Since 1854, new legislation has been slowly introduced to take into account the changing gambling landscape in Ireland, although rarely have the new laws repealed the old ones. The result is that everything you need to know about gambling laws in Ireland is scattered across nearly 150 years of legislation. It is not ideal because Ireland has a mix of traditional and modern gambling practices. Laws written over 100 years ago couldn’t possibly take into account online gambling, and yet they are currently regulating online gambling. Things are set to change, though.

Gambling laws in Ireland are being consolidated. Old laws will be repealed, and new legislation and overseeing bodies established to try and make gambling legislation in Ireland a bit more streamlined.
We’re still in the early days of these legal changes. Together, we’re going to explore Ireland’s gambling landscape today! We’ll tell you everything you need to know, in a simple manner, about Ireland’s gambling legislation.

Key Features of Gambling Laws

To gamble at Irish casino sites, or dabble in sports betting, you need to be 18, pretty much in line with most other jurisdictions that legalise gambling.

Everything that you (currently) need to know about the law is covered by tons of different pieces of legislation, although most legislation that regulates modern gambling can be found in:

• Gaming and Lotteries Acts: various pieces of legislation came into force between 1956 and 2019, which mostly talk about how any gambling on a game of chance requires the provider of the service to be regulated. This involves gaining a gambling permit.
• Betting Acts: these laws came into force between 1931 and 2015. They look at sports betting. Later pieces of legislation attempt to regulate online betting. These laws state that anybody offering remote betting services in Ireland must be licensed, although gamblers are free to use overseas gambling companies.
• Gambling Regulation Act 2024: this is where the bulk of the shake-ups related to gambling laws in Ireland will happen. This act has only recently come into force and establishes a new regulatory body for overseeing gambling in Ireland. It also streamlines gambling laws a little bit by bringing most laws under one act, i.e., repealing a few older laws.

We will discuss some of the 2024 changes to gambling legislation throughout this page, but major changes include:

• Irish betting providers now need a licence to offer their services. There are multiple licences available, with special licences for those offering remote gambling services like those offering online gambling.
• Better protections for the players. A lot of these changes will be more in line with the player protections available in the UK i.e. more tools for problem gamblers to exclude themselves from platforms. There is also a requirement for gambling companies to pay into a fund to help problem gamblers.
• Changes to how promotions are offered.
• Changes to the way payments are accepted.

All the new changes to gambling laws in Ireland will be overseen by a new regulatory body — the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, or the GRAI for short. This new regulatory body will not only be responsible for licensing gambling providers in Ireland, but it will have far-reaching powers to change certain aspects of gambling laws in the country to make things safer for Irish gamblers.

A Brief History of Gambling in Ireland

Gambling is not new to Ireland. The history of gambling in the country stretches back to at least 110 BC to 60 AD when Conaire Mor ruled the land. There is evidence that people were betting on chariot races in Curragh. Some would argue that it was around this time that the Irish started their love affair with horse racing. Even today, Curragh is the ‘home’ of gambling, with the Irish National Stud breeding facility located here, and we all know that Ireland produces some of the best racehorses in the world.

In the 17th Century, when the English invaded Ireland, many of the gambling laws from England started to become intertwined with current Irish legislation (which, to be honest, was quite lax at the time). Still, it was mostly horse racing which was regulated at the time, with the Irish given free rein to do what they wanted with card games and other casino games, and they opted to not regulate them.

It wasn’t until 1922 when an independent Ireland was formed, that things started to change. This began with the Betting Act in 1926 which helped to eradicate illegal bookmakers. Bookmakers now had to be licensed. This legislation evolved quite a bit over the years, but bookmakers still need some form of licence to operate within the country.

In 1956, laws were tightened about licensing anybody offering gambling services. The law made it a whole lot harder to set up a gambling provider in Ireland, and this law has been tightening ever since.

Of course, when the country is basing all of its gambling laws on something written in 1956, it posed a problem when online gambling started to become popular in the early 2000s. So, the Betting (Amendment) Act 2015 and the Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Act 2019 were introduced, both of which provided a bit more guidance on how online and remote gambling would be administered.

It is digital gambling where most regulatory efforts are now being placed, since online gambling (both sports betting and online casinos) is a huge business in the country. Luckily, Ireland is now changing the way this regulation happens, with laws introduced in 2024 which help to bring Ireland more in line with modern gambling legislation around the world.

Modern Regulations and Licensing

For the time being, all gambling licensing is carried out by the Revenue Commissioner, with separate licensing for gaming machines, casino games, and bookmakers. Licences last for between 1 and 2 years (the two years are for bookies).

However, when the latest legislation comes into force, all licensing will become the responsibility of the GRAI, and the licensing system will replace any old licences and licensing processes.

At the moment, to get a gaming licence for operation in Ireland, gambling providers must apply to their local district court. The district court will then provide a certificate that will allow the Revenue Commission to provide a gaming licence. Things may vary on a local basis, though.

When the GRAI comes into force, the process will be slightly different. At the moment, there is no indication of how the process is likely to happen. It will likely not be the same, though. This means no applying to court, or obtaining certificates. Chances are that it will be similar to the process in the UK, i.e., a centralised system.

Taxation and Player Rights

Almost every bet placed in Ireland is subject to a 2% betting duty. This is paid at the point the wager is made, and the operator must ensure that this tax is paid to the Irish government. So, if you’re a gambler, you don’t have to worry about paying that. It’ll just be taken out of your stake.

For the most part, players are exempt from paying tax on anything earned from gambling. So, all your winnings are tax-free. There is a bit of a grey area in the law. In very rare cases, if almost all earnings come from gambling winnings, and a person is gambling a lot, then they may be seen as a professional gambler. In that case, gambling winnings may be taxed as if they are a person’s employment income. The vast majority of people will not need to worry about this. You would likely need to be earning thousands of Euros per year with no other income. It rarely comes up.

Licensed gambling providers in Ireland need to conform to some very specific legislation when it comes to player rights. This ensures that their games are fair, that winnings are available to gamblers, etc. When it comes into force, it will be the duty of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) to enforce player rights and investigate any issues that could be detrimental to the player.

Gambling Activities Breakdown

Here are some of the regulations in place for various gambling activities:

• Poker: this is currently legal in Ireland, assuming things happen through licensed establishments or private member clubs. But proposed changes to legislation could destroy high-stakes poker. The max wager for poker under new laws would be 10 Euros, with maximum winnings of 3,000. If this happens, anything other than low-stakes poker would disappear.
• Sports Betting: all forms of sports betting in Ireland are allowed, with licences being granted to both online and offline bookmakers. Overseas companies can also offer sports betting services to gamblers. New laws introduced in 2024 mean that there will be changes to the way sports betting licences are issued, with very strict limits on the amount that can be gambled and won.
• Lottery: The National Lottery Act 2013 will govern the administration of the National Lottery, with new legislation not impacting that. However, the GRAI will be given oversight over other forms of lottery. The one exception will be fundraising lotteries for political parties, which will be governed by the Electoral Reform Act 2022. Any one-off lotteries can have a maximum price of 360,000 Euros. Certain lotteries may be excluded from licensing requirements, i.e., if no profit is made, the maximum winnings are under 2,000 Euros, and fewer than 1,500 tickets are sold.
• Bingos: under new laws, bingo will be subject to the same regulatory oversight as a lottery.
• Cryptocurrency Gambling: this is regulated in the same way as any other form of gambling. There are no special exemptions to cryptocurrency gambling, although it does remain to be seen how the financial restrictions will impact cryptocurrency gambling since the price of crypto fluctuates considerably.

Responsible Gambling Measures

All online gambling providers in Ireland are required to allow players to self-exclude themselves from gambling activities. Gambling providers must also regularly check to ensure problem gamblers are identified and properly protected.

When the GRAI comes into force, there will be new processes to promote responsible gambling. This includes:

• Limiting payment methods for gambling i.e., cannot pay using credit.
• A National Gambling Exclusion Register, limiting any identified problem gamblers from gambling anywhere.
• Limits to advertising.
• The establishment of a fund, paid for by gambling providers, which will research problem gambling and provide assistance for gamblers.

For the time being, problem gamblers must rely on various gambling addiction charities and Problem Gambling Ireland for assistance.

Future of Gambling Laws in Ireland

In 2022, the Gambling Regulation Bill started to make its way through the government, with it eventually being signed into law as the Gambling Regulation Act 2024. This act intends to simplify legislation related to gambling. One of the key parts of this act is the establishment of the GRAI, a new body which has extensive powers to license gambling providers, introduce controls to gambling in the country, and enforce player’s rights.

At the moment, the act is not fully in force, it still needs to be properly enacted. But many believe that this could happen by the end of 2025, despite there being significant pushback from gambling providers.

When the act is enabled, all gambling providers in the country must apply for a new licence through the GRAI (there will be time for them to do this by converting their older licences). There will be much tighter regulations on gambling, including bet limits, processes for dealing with customer complaints, etc. There will also be tighter tools for helping to keep problem gamblers safe, including the establishment of a fund to research and assist problem gamblers.

The future of gambling laws in Ireland is there to protect the player while making everything simpler. Lawmakers have acknowledged that there are still slight problems with the legislation, but they see the legislation as a great start, and they hope that there will be further refinements as time goes on.

Stay Updated

Gambling laws are going through a period of rapid change in Ireland, with new laws likely to come into force very soon. Proposed changes will see Ireland get the biggest overhaul to its gambling legislation ever. If you’re a gambler in Ireland or a provider of gambling services, you must keep up-to-date with changes to the laws. This means paying attention to any websites that discuss gambling legislation, as well as the information, i.e., a website that outlines many of the changes related to gambling laws in the country.

Subscribe to our website to keep abreast of changes to gambling laws in Ireland, particularly the sweeping changes set to take place throughout 2025 and beyond.