Ireland’s gambling regulation starts to take form

In the coming months, the new regulator will be tasked with awarding licences, establishing regulatory frameworks that bring restrictions live, countering money laundering and terrorism, and creating a social impact fund capitalised by the industry.

Ireland’s gambling regulator was created under last year’s Gambling Regulation Act 2024. It is charged with overseeing the establishment of Ireland’s gambling regulatory framework. It is also responsible for the awarding of licences for all Irish gambling activities, with the national lottery being the sole exception.

Speaking to iGB, GRAI CEO Anne-Marie Caulfield said that the regulator’s “whole governance structure”, such as finances and staffing strategies, had already been completed. With licences yet to be awarded, however, the work has only just started.

Ireland regulator’s board appointees and consultancy panels

The GRAI officially came into force in March 2025 with the appointment of seven staff members to its board.

The regulator’s board is being led by Paul Quinn, former CEO of Ireland’s government procurement office. Quinn was also the director of procurement for Ireland’s national communication network Eircom.

On the board is Celine Craig, former CEO and manager with the broadcast authority of Ireland. Craig is also a former media commissioner.

Two members of the seven-member board have a background in health and safety. These include Rita Purcell, who is the current deputy CEO of international and legal at the Health Products Regulatory Authority, and Dr. Colin O’Driscoll, a senior psychologist and clinical lead for Ireland’s HSE Mid-West Addiction Services.

Also included on the panel is Marion Kelly, current CEO and board member of the Irish Banking Culture Board. Kelly is also a chartered director and certified bank director. The former chair of the Gaming & Leisure Association of Ireland, David Hickson, has been appointed, as has the practising barrister Michael McGrath.

The regulator will also establish a number of consultancy panels to keep it informed of best practices moving forward. This will include a panel of industry consultants to ensure the sector is involved in establishing the market’s standards.

“It is our intention to involve the industry, making them aware of where we’re coming from and the measures that are to be introduced,” Caulfield said.

Most regulatory standards will be put through public and industry consultations before they are introduced in the coming years.

GRAI is expected to create several informative groups to assist in its decision making, including a “lived experience panel”. This consultancy group will share the accounts of individuals who have suffered gambling-related harm.

Licensing for operators, suppliers and charities

GRAI CEO Caulfield stated that the regulator would be prioritising its licensing scheme. The “vast majority of the obligations” and enforcements will stem from that licensing, she explained.

“We anticipate that we’ll be able to open for betting licences both online and on-site, before the end of the year,” Caulfield told iGB. “We’re moving on to online gaming in early 2026, then working our way through the other phases of licensing out to 2027. The final licence types will be charities and business-to-business.”

In March, the GRAI started the licensing application process by putting out a request for those interested in obtaining a gambling licence to register interest. The regulator is set to open a licensing portal before the end of the year.

Caulfield noted that the regulator had designed its licensing structure around three pillars: a corporate check, financial check and technical check. Each operator applying for a licence will have to undergo vetting in those three areas.

The corporate check will involve scrutiny of the operators’ C-suite and key decision makers. The financial viability of business plans and the organisation itself will be checked. Finally, a technical check will investigate the systems of the operator, such as its ability to protect the data of its customers.

Gambling restrictions

GRAI’s chief noted that the primary legislation contained a series of public health-focused measures. In Caulfield’s view, the bill has two main objectives: to protect children and to protect individuals from problem gambling.

“There’s a whole piece of restrictions in terms of advertising, and there’s a watershed to protect children from gathering advertising between 5.30am and 9pm,” Caulfield noted.

The regulator will also enforce a number of restrictions on so-called incitements. As a result, operators will no longer be able to target individuals or groups with offers. They can be offered to the general public, but no longer will operators be able to offer VIP treatment or bonuses to gamblers showing signs of excessive gambling.

Social media advertising will also be restricted and adults will have to opt in to receive marketing communications.

Further restrictions

Looking forward, the regulator emphasised that it will have a number of discretionary powers at its disposal if evidence points to a need for tougher enforcement.

However, the initial regulations are set to be implemented in phases.

“Public expectation even is something that we had to manage as the restrictions will come in as the various licence types go live,” Caulfield said. “It will take a number of years to actually get up to the same level as well-established jurisdictions.”

A national gambling exclusion register will be launched under the GRAI’s authority. This will allow individuals to exclude themselves from specific gambling activities or from all operators.

The regulator told iGB the register would be built over the coming year and will interface with the systems of the various companies that are licensed.

“The time limits will be set by the authority,” Caulfield noted. “I think we would allow people a definite exclusion and then shorter time frames as well for people who just want to take a break from gambling for maybe financial purposes.”

GRAI funding and social impact fund

When the final parliamentary debates occurred last October, concerns were voiced about how the regulator would be funded. The bill’s sponsor, deputy James Browne, said that the gambling watchdog would be “funded by the industry by way of levies” because “the impact on the taxpayer once it is up and running should be zero”.

So far, levies on operators and suppliers have yet to be announced. The rate will be set by government ministers, along with the contributions the industry will have to supply to the regulator’s social impact fund.

“The social impact fund would be a levy on all of the licensed companies,” Caulfield told iGB.

The watchdog is completing the work on the fund and will put it to a consultation before it is approved.

“Ultimately, ministers will decide what percentage is applied to the social impact fund,” Caulfield said. Revenues will be spent on gambling education, awareness research and the treatment of gambling-related harms.

Ireland’s gambling black market

The watchdog’s chief executive noted that operators had raised concerns about the black market but said it did not appear to be as large as “portrayed” by industry stakeholders.

GRAI will aim to educate the public about the danger of black-market operators. It will run a campaign to raise awareness of illegal sites and warn against giving out bank details.

Following the example of other jurisdictions, the regulator will also attempt to block illegal sites and operators.

“We have that software procured and will start to deploy that in collaboration with other EU member states and other jurisdictions,” Caulfield said.

Once the first licences are live, GRAI will begin working with banks to block payments. It will also look to work with social media and search engine platforms to curb online searches and access.

The regulator is also considering a more robust approach towards B2B licences, said Caulfield.

“So, for the software use in companies which are operating in the black market, for example, but it’s actually been purchased from businesses that are licensed,” she added. “They’re operating legitimately with other companies. I think both the companies and other jurisdictions need to work to stamp that out.”

Despite these efforts, the fledging regulator doesn’t believe any single approach can stamp out the illegal market.

“I don’t think any one of those solutions will be effective, but we certainly don’t want a flourishing black market in Ireland,” Caulfield explained. “So we’ll take in all and any steps we can, as other jurisdictions have successfully done, to ensure that it doesn’t take hold.”