- GRAI began issuing remote betting licences on 1 July 2026, replacing a system dating to the Betting Act 1931.
- Every operator taking bets from Irish customers now needs a GRAI licence, with fines of up to €20 million or 10% of turnover for serious breaches.
- Casino and gaming machine licences are not part of this first phase. Online casino licensing is expected sometime in the 2026 to 2027 window, with wider applications for gaming, lotteries and bingo from 2027 onward.
Irish casino sites are bracing for sweeping change after the country's first gambling watchdog began issuing its opening licences, it has emerged.
Feedback sessions with OLBG members showed trust in regulated operators is now the single biggest factor shaping where people choose to play, in the UK and increasingly in Ireland too.
The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) started issuing business to consumer remote betting licences on 1 July 2026, ending a licensing system that had run under the Betting Act 1931 for close to a century.
Every online betting operator active in Ireland, or entering the market for the first time, now needs a GRAI licence to keep trading. In-person betting licences follow from 1 December 2026.
My View
Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan, who steered the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 through Irish parliament, called the launch a clear and robust regulatory regime that strengthens Ireland's reputation as a well-regulated market.
GRAI chief executive Anne Marie Caulfield confirmed the authority is starting with the largest segment of the Irish betting market first. She said consumers now have important new protections whenever they bet online or over the phone.
OLBG's Casino Content Manager David Coleman believes the phased approach gives Ireland a chance to get the framework right before the higher-risk casino sector comes under GRAI's remit.
He said: "Starting with remote betting and building up to casino licensing over the next year or two is the sensible order to do this in.
"Ireland is effectively getting a second chance to build the kind of licensing regime the UK spent years correcting. Fines of up to €20 million are not a formality. They are a genuine deterrent.
"The real test comes when casino and gaming machine licences open up. That is where player protection tends to matter most, and it is worth watching closely over the next twelve months."
| Licence type | Status |
|---|---|
| Online betting | Live from 1 July 2026 |
| In-person betting | From 1 December 2026 |
| Casino and remote gaming | Expected 2026 to 2027, exact date not yet set |
| Gaming machines, lotteries and bingo | Applications expected 2027 to 2028 |
For Irish players, the immediate change is limited to how betting operators are licensed and policed. Anyone opening a new account with an online bookmaker in Ireland should now expect stricter age verification, a ban on credit card deposits and access to the new exclusion register.
One theme came through clearly in member feedback: people increasingly check licensing status before signing up anywhere, not just in the UK. Ireland catching up to that standard closes a gap that had been growing for years.
GRAI has said tackling illegal, unlicensed operators is now a major priority, with enforcement action against unlicensed betting sites already under way.
