Barry Grant from Problem Gamblers Ireland said they would be delighted to see the establishment of the Office of Gambling Regulator in Ireland. 'Ireland urgently needs a regulator and updated. The desire to adjust the legislative norms in the gambling sector appeared long ago in Ireland. However, the process of adopting new regulations is always a long way. The Gaming and Lotteries Act 2019 became actual only on December 1, 2020. According to the officials, the new law is aimed to bring more clarity into the gambling sector.

AS THE UK ordered a review of its gambling laws this week, the Irish government has again reiterated that it won’t be enacting landmark legislation until next year at the earliest.

The UK has had a gambling regulator since 2005 and has, like Ireland, witnessed a huge move towards online and mobile gambling in the last decade. The value of the Irish gambling market annually is estimated at €8-10 billion.

But Ireland, on the other hand, doesn’t even have a regulator yet and legislation drafted by the government in 2013 that would create one still hasn’t passed through the Dáil.

It comes amid calls for a dedicated gambling prevalence survey to understand the scale of the issues around problem gambling in Ireland as well as a problem gambling awareness campaign.

The HSE has said its own figures don’t paint an accurate picture of the scale of problem gambling in Ireland while a significant survey that includes statistics on gambling in Ireland won’t be published until mid-2021.

UK review

The UK first introduced its regulator, the Gambling Commission, 15 years ago. It provides licences to operators of betting, lotteries, bingos, casinos and remote gambling across the UK.

It sets requirements for those it grants licences to and can take action, including enforcement and fines, against those who breach the rules.

The fines it dishes out can run into the millions, such as a £2.8 million fine given to Boylesports last month after an investigation found the company failed to have appropriate money laundering risk assessment.

However, a review of the work of the Gambling Commission and gambling laws in the UK have been long mooted and, this week, the British government launched its landmark review.

It said: “Online restrictions, marketing and the powers of the Gambling Commission will be looked at as part of a call for evidence, to examine in detail how gambling has changed over the past 15 years.

“Protections for online gamblers like stake and spend limits, advertising and promotional offers and whether extra protections for young adults are needed will all be explored.

In a debate in the House of Commons, the government was also urged to prevent social media influencers from encouraging children and young people to gamble.

Sports minister Nigel Huddleston said that action would also be taken on betting advertising in sport if there was “evidence of harm” in relation to it.

Separately, reviews are also under way in the UK into loot boxes in video games and into VIP schemes operated by gambling companies.

Situation in Ireland

Speaking to TheJournal.ie last month, Barry Grant from problem gambling charity Extern said that the government had been “twiddling its thumbs” for years on regulating gambling in Ireland.

New laws to regulate gambling were first proposed over seven years ago by the Fine Gael-Labour government with the Gambling Control Bill 2013.

However, this legislation that would modernise Ireland’s gambling laws has never been brought in and wasn’t advanced under the previous government.

In the new programme for government, a commitment is made in this area. It says: “We will establish a gambling regulator focused on public safety and wellbeing, covering gambling online and in person and the powers to regulate advertising, gambling websites and apps.”

When that will actually happen, however, is uncertain.

This week, Minister of State James Browne said that the development of modern gambling legislation is a “priority” for the government, in response to a parliamentary question.

“This reform includes a new independent gambling regulator to enforce necessary and appropriate licensing and regulatory measures in respect of all gambling activities, including online,” he said.

At the end of November, Browne said that “seed funding” of €200,000 for the establishment of a new regulator had been granted under Budget 2021.

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This body will be responsible for regulating to protect vulnerable persons including age restrictions, staff training, self-exclusion measures and controls on advertising, promotions and sponsorship.

It is also envisioned that it will administer a new social fund, that will support research, information, campaigns and even treatments.

For campaigners, this long overdue regulator would be a welcome move to help safeguard vulnerable people.

Grant said: “We’re so far behind the curve, it’s not like we’re some technological backwater. We’re at the cutting edge of tech in this country. Surely someone somewhere can get a grip on this.

One aspect that is called for is a comprehensive study on the extent of the issues around problem gambling in Ireland.

Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould has called for a dedicated gambling prevalence survey. In a statement, he said that it’s needed “so we can understand the scale of the problem, and we also need the rolling out of a problem gambling awareness campaign”.

However, there is little data on how prevalent the issue is in Ireland, at present.

Junior Health Minister Frank Feighan said earlier this month that the 2018/19 HRB national survey on drug and alcohol use – which includes data on gambling – will publish its data in mid-2021.

Gould added: “Problem gambling is too serious for our health service to not have a comprehensive understanding of the issue, and the gambling industry cannot continue to be essentially unregulated.

“The Minister recently gave me an assurance the legislation would be published by the end of 2021. This is simply too long to wait. We already have legislation waiting.

“The Gambling Control Bill, which has been gathering dust since 2013, needs to be progressed… The issue is too big for the government to abdicate responsibility and leave it to others.”

With reporting from PA

The gambling laws in Ireland can be confusing simply because of the changes that have taken place over the last 10 years within the regulatory structure of the Irish gambling industry. While all of these changes may be hard to keep up with, they demonstrate Ireland’s commitment to remaining relevant and keeping pace in a thriving, technology driven industry that will not withstand an outdated set of statutes or laws.

This page was developed by experienced gambling industry professionals who have an insightful and thorough understanding of legal online gambling in Ireland. They are not lawyers however, and do not provide legal advice or professional legal services of any kind. If you are seeking legal advice concerning gambling in Ireland, we suggest you contact an attorney who specializes in gambling laws.

Gambling Laws in Ireland

Regulated gambling in Ireland began taking shape in the mid 1800s with the Betting Act of 1854, and has very slowly evolved into the more modern regulatory structure you see now. Ireland’s lawmaker have worked hard to get their legal status up to par with the current gambling industry environment that is present world wide. It may have taken some time for this to happen, and it may not yet be perfect, but it certainly is getting better and better, with the changes clearly resonating the nation’s interest in establishing itself as a significant presence in the global gambling market. This page will take a look at relevant gambling laws broken down by betting venue.

Casino Gambling Laws in Ireland

Before 1956, there was not much regulatory oversight concerning most forms of gambling in Ireland. Casino gambling was finally addressed through the Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1956. The law prohibits commercial casinos from operating in Ireland. A loophole in the law has driven innovative business owners to establish members only gambling clubs, which are not prohibited in Ireland. These clubs are essentially mini-casinos that provide various casino games, including slots, video poker, poker games and blackjack, among other games. There are approximately 14 of these destinations in Ireland at the time of this writing, and they require a membership in order to participate. Most of them are known as clubs, but a few are actually called casinos. Playing casino games for real money at these clubs does not violate the Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1956.

An effort was recently made to legalize casino gambling in Ireland and provide a regulatory infrastructure for playing casino games for real money on a large scale. The Gambling Control Bill of 2013, authored by Alan Shatter, has not yet been passed by Parliament. If passed, the bill will allow up to 40 legal land based casinos with up to 15 tables each. The bill also included provisions for regulating and expanding the casino, poker and bingo industry both online and offline. There is no estimate of when the passage of this bill may take place.

Online Casino Gambling Laws in Ireland

Online casino gambling is also legal in Ireland. Ireland’s gambling laws have specifically made it legal for citizens to engage in licensed and regulated offshore gambling as well as licensed domestic online gambling. Online casino gambling really emerged in 2001, but it wasn’t until 2003 that Ireland really embraced the concept more fully and began integrating locally licensed interactive betting into their gambling market. Currently both locally licensed and licensed offshore online casino gambling is legal for Irish citizens to enjoy. You can visit our page covering Ireland online casinos to learn more about the leading online casino destinations that welcome Irish players.

Poker Laws In Ireland

Live poker is legally available through several of the various gambling clubs located in Ireland. Since most forms of gambling are prohibited through the Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1956, including commercial casinos and poker rooms, punters are limited to one of the 14 gambling clubs located in Ireland if they are seeking live poker action. These destinations offer live poker games, just not on a very large scale in most cases. Due to the limits of land based poker in Ireland, many players have elected to engage in the further reaching legal online poker options afforded to Irish players.

The Irish Open Poker Tournament is Europe’s largest poker tournament, and the second longest running No Limit Texas Holdem tournament in the world. This is a strong indication of the following poker holds in the gambling industry in Ireland. Poker is undeniably a significant presence in the fabric of Irish gambling entertainment.

Laws About Playing Online Poker In Ireland

Like the casino niche, poker is legally available online through both domestically licensed and offshore licensed online poker rooms. You will find a listing of the online poker sites that our analysts have vetted and approved as premium, Irish online poker rooms. Each of them is legally licensed and regulated through either the Republic of Ireland or a respected governing jurisdiction located offshore.

Sports Betting Laws in Ireland

Bookmaking and pari-mutuel wagering have the longest standing history in Ireland. This being the case, the nation’s earliest gambling laws were focused on these venues. The Betting Act of 1931 regulated all sports betting activities until 2015. Bookmaking has been and continues to be the most popular form of gambling among Irish citizens. This 1931 law has finally been updated with recent legislation that is more relevant to modern bookmaking entertainment, known as the Betting (Amendment) Act of 2015. This Act was signed into law in 2015, and was enacted to establish a means for offshore sportsbooks and betting exchanges to become integrated into Irish licensing policies and taxation requirements. The law effectively alters standard bookmaking licensing to also include limited remote betting with revenue restrictions. This bill had made it illegal for online betting businesses to offer their services to Irish citizens without first acquiring a remote bookmaker or betting intermediary license. Specific licensing requirements and procedures are established in the Betting (Amendment) Act 2015.

Learn more in our Ireland sports betting section.

Pari-Mutuel Wagering Laws

Pari-mutuel wagering has long been a part of Ireland’s gambling culture, well before regulated gambling took shape in the nation. The most current legislation related to racing is the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001. This law created Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) to oversee the administration, development and regulation of the industry. The law also dissolved the Irish Horse Racing Authority, while effectively amending and extending the Horseracing Industry Act of 1994, the Greyhound Industry Act of 1958 and the Betting Act of 1931. Irish citizens can bet on horse races both online and offline from domestically licensed racetracks and bookmakers as well as online at legally licensed offshore sportsbooks.

New Gambling Legislation Ireland Uk

Bingo Laws And Regulations In Ireland

The Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1956 prohibits commercial bingo halls and bingo games for real money outside of licensed charitable gambling events. That being said, bingo proprietors simply use the same loophole as do the casino and poker gambling venues, and have proceeded to establish multiple bingo gambling clubs. These clubs offer a bingo hall environment and the opportunity to play bingo for real money.

As an alternative, there are a number of legally sanctioned, high quality online bingo opportunities available to Irish punters offered through both domestically based and international bingo sites. The bingo sites you see mentioned in our guide to understanding Legal Bingo Gambling Options in Ireland will provide you with a refined listing of the industry’s leading online bingo sites that are legally licensed and regulated, and that accept players from Ireland.

New Gambling Legislation Ireland 2020

Lottery Laws In IE

The nation’s lottery industry was created through the National Lottery Act of 1986, and was established for the purpose of raising funds for good causes. Operations for the National Lottery began in 1987 with scratchcard games, followed by the Lotto game in 1988. You can play three types of drawing games in Ireland, including Lotto, EuroMillions and Daily Million. The National Lottery also funds televised bingo and games shows, sells scratchcards and operates Millionaire Raffles.

Fast forward to today’s technological age and we see Ireland’s legal lottery industry enact the National Lottery Act of 2013. This law was established to facilitate the sale of the National Lottery License to a third party. This was driven by financial hardships experienced by the Republic of Ireland, and provided swift financial relief for them. In addition, the law eliminated restrictions on interactive gambling in order to foster the online sale of lottery tickets. A portion of the sale from the national lottery license was used to assist in the building of a national children’s hospital.

Recent Gambling Legislation In Ireland

New Gambling Legislation Ireland 2019

The gambling markets in Ireland and around the world are consistently evolving, particularly with the integration of online betting into the gambling entertainment industry. Here we will take a look at recent or pending legislation that is becoming a part of the regulatory framework of Irish gambling laws.

Courts & Civil Liabilities (Miscellaneous Provisions) 2017

The Irish Cabinet recently approved new legislation that would amend a few things with the current gambling law. The Courts and Civil Liabilities (Miscellaneous Provisions) bill is modernizing the Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1956. The bill raises the legal gambling age from 16 to 18. The current legislation permits 16-year-olds to enter establishments like carnivals and amusement halls with slot machines, funfairs or sports betting events. The new bill also raises the stakes and prize pot limits of local lotteries. The standing legislation requires lotteries of up to €5,000 to obtain a permit from a Garda superintendent and lotteries with prizes up to €30,000 to get a license from the District Court. As things stand now, Parliament is aiming to have this legislation voted on and approved by the end of the year.