Domestic and Offshore Betting Companies Prepare for Changes in Irish Legislation

Across much of the gambling industry, changes in legislation have been announced in recent weeks. In Ireland, confirmation of proposed adjustments to how betting companies operate was issued in October 2024 and has recently come into effect.

Betting platforms had until March 2025 to make preparations for the new laws, and the industry is reacting to a series of significant changes.

The Key Elements

Much of the legislation relates to advertising and how betting companies can promote their businesses. Under the new rules, viewers must be in no doubt that an ad is for a gambling product. The service must make it perfectly clear that a betting service is being promoted.

Changes in timing are also set to come in: From March, TV advertisements relating to gambling cannot be shown between the hours of 5.30 am to 9.00 pm. Companies will therefore have to wait until after the traditional ‘watershed’ to promote their services.

Further Changes

Casino players in Ireland will also see changes in the way they can fund their accounts. Under the new laws, customers will no longer be able to deposit to or withdraw from the gambling platform using a credit card, and they cannot obtain credit in any way via their bookmaker or casino.

In addition to the restrictions on advertising, operators also face new rules relating to sponsorship. They must implement greater levels of player protection, while laws are also in place relating to inducements, including betting company offers and promotions.

The rules are clear, and anyone falling foul may face penalties and, in extreme cases, they may even see their licenses revoked.

Stiff Penalties Await

The new laws will be overseen by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) who have the power to invoke sanctions on any operator that doesn’t play by the rules. The GRAI is a new organisation, formed as part of the proposals put forward in October 2024, and its arrival has been welcomed by the Irish government.

In a released statement, Ireland’s Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said:

“Today marks a new era for the regulation of gambling in the Irish state.”

The gambling act is designed to meet the challenges of gambling responsibly in 21st-century Ireland, providing clarity for operators and for consumers, and taking a responsible approach to balancing the freedom to gamble with the safeguards to protect people.

Taking Responsibility

As Ireland’s Minister for Justice confirmed, all of the changes that have come into effect are a result of the industry’s drive to promote responsible gambling. Reports emerging in April 2025 confirmed that the new Irish regulator was ‘understandably concerned’ over the issue of problem gambling, and at the same time, it requested feedback on its social responsibility fund.

As part of its licensing process, the GRAI is likely to look at the question and see how individual operators implement their own responsibility tools. Meanwhile, every betting company looking for licensing and regulation within the Republic of Ireland will need to abide by the new laws.