
From March 5, 2025, Ireland has new gambling regulations. The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) is a statutory body that fulfils obligations under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024. This will visibly impact Ireland, especially in areas like the licensing process and social issues like gambling addiction. However, we also need to consider how the new laws will affect UK bookmakers.
What is the GRAI?
The GRAI is made up of seven members appointed by the Minister of Justice. Paul Quinn was elected as the Chairperson and Anne Marie as the Chief Executive Officer. Each member has experience in a number of fields that are related to gambling and are tasked with carrying out the new restrictions, handing out licenses, investigating complaints, educating the public, setting up projects including the National Gambling Exclusion Register and Social Impact Fund. The central role of the GRAI is to safeguard the public and raise awareness without compromising the entertainment aspect of gambling at the same time. A quick look at big Irish bookmakers shows that majority that operate in Ireland are already licensed in the UK by the UK Gambling Commission but they will also need to register with the GRAI.
Irish bookmakers will be impacted as well as UK bookmakers, as we have outlined below.
What are the new laws?
There are a handful of significant changes that the GRAI will introduce, many of which are already in the works. Some schemes will take longer to launch.
Irish citizens may notice that they are seeing fewer gambling advertisements on television during the day, because the GRAI has banned this concept between 5.30 am and 9.00 pm. Not only is the television affected, but also the radio and any other media. The reason behind this is that people will be less likely to turn to bookmakers when there are no advertisements. In the future, the frequency of adverts and their duration will be announced. Also, children will not be influenced either. Any betting merchandise directed at children is also banned, and events cannot be held in places where children are members or make up the bulk of the team. Discernibly, this may affect the traffic to betting sites, which will affect bookmakers.
Irish bookmakers will need to obtain a license from the GRAI, and once this is certified, they will be put on a register for licensed bookmakers alongside their fees. Three types of license are awarded: Business to Consumer, Business to Business, and Charitable. Some fundraisers will not need a license, for example if the total value of winnings is under €2,000.
How will UK bookmakers have to adapt to the new rules?
Although the GRAI is solely an Irish body, bookmakers will be impacted around the globe. Betting sites that are licensed by the UK but operate in Ireland will need to apply for a license granted by the GRAI, and follow the specific rules set by them. One of these rules is the advertisements we mentioned above, if they wish to promote their website in Ireland.
Furthermore, a National Gambling Exclusion Register is an online list of punters who have signed themselves up. This means bookmakers cannot contact them or let them register for their services. Being on the register prevents you from betting, which means that UK bookmakers must have access to this list. Otherwise, penalties will be incurred.
Other ways that bookmakers will need to adapt include compliance teams and geographic restrictions. It is possible that smaller bookmakers may block themselves off from the Irish market for now, if they can’t afford to adjust to these terms.
How will this impact Irish bookmakers?
Irish bookmakers will be most impacted by the new rules and as the GRAI is already operational, they have already begun to comply. With this being said, the laws are evolving quickly and betting sites will need to keep an eye out for any changes.
The main rule to consider is the new licenses, because failure to renew with an appropriate license will have detrimental consequences. What’s more, bookmakers must adhere to the rules set by the GRAI, such as the advertising restrictions, and contribute to the Social Impact Fund. The money is invested in education on gambling addiction and training new members on how to recognize and treat it. Bookmakers must contribute each year.
To comply, bookmakers must also carry out thorough identity checks to make sure that customers are adults, not listed under the exclusion register, and not using credit cards to fund their online betting. Harmful behavior online such as spending excessive amounts of time gambling or spending above their means should be flagged.
Because the new laws are relatively new, bookmakers in Ireland are justifiably uncertain. The key for businesses is to keep themselves updated via the website. Not every proposed scheme has yet been implemented, and existing licenses will remain valid until their expiry under the old acts. This will be on a “phased basis”.