Ireland Authorizes GRAI to Begin Issuing Gambling Licences

Ireland has taken a major step in overhauling its gambling oversight framework after the government approved new powers for the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), enabling it to begin issuing betting licences and enforcing compliance across the sector. The move marks the transition from long-standing legacy laws to a centralized regulatory system designed to reflect modern gambling practices.

The approval was formalized last week when Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan signed an order connected to the Gambling Regulation Act 2024. That legislation created the GRAI as Ireland’s new national gambling regulator. Although the act was passed in October 2024, the authority only became operational as the official regulator in March 2025. With the latest order now in place, the GRAI can begin accepting and processing licence applications starting Thursday.

The licensing framework applies to both remote gambling activity, such as online betting, and land-based wagering carried out at physical premises. According to the government, the authority will be able to issue licences to new market entrants as soon as operationally possible. Remote gambling operators may receive licences from 1 July, while in-person operators can be licensed from 1 December, when their existing permissions are due to expire.

“Today marks another important step towards replacing Ireland’s outdated gambling laws with a streamlined and simplified licensing framework,” O’Callaghan said. “This reflects the nature of modern gambling and takes into account the harms associated with problem gambling, by providing safeguards to protect people from those harms, especially children.”

Under the new system, the GRAI will issue three core types of licences, covering business-to-consumer activity, business-to-business services, and gambling carried out for charitable or philanthropic purposes.

B2C licences will apply to operators dealing directly with customers. These include permissions for in-person betting at physical locations, as well as remote betting licences that cover online wagering, including pool betting. A separate category within B2C licensing addresses remote betting intermediaries, which allow customers to place bets with one another through an online platform.

B2B licences will authorize companies that supply gambling products or provide services connected to gambling operations. This category is intended to cover technology providers, platform suppliers, and other firms that support licensed operators without offering bets directly to the public.

The third licence type will apply to charitable and philanthropic gambling activity. This includes limited forms of gambling such as lotteries or pool betting associated with specific events or causes.

By separating licences into these categories, the GRAI aims to align regulatory oversight more closely with the nature of each activity, while maintaining consistent standards across the industry.

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In addition to licensing, the new order activates the GRAI’s enforcement role under the Gambling Regulation Act. The authority will monitor compliance with a wide range of restrictions intended to address gambling-related harm and consumer protection.

Among the measures set out in the legislation is a prohibition on using credit cards for gambling payments. Operators must also provide tools that allow customers to set limits on their gambling expenditure. Physical gambling venues will no longer be permitted to install ATM machines on their premises.

The act further bans inducement practices that have been common in the industry, including VIP schemes, free bets, free credit, and complimentary hospitality offered to gamblers. A national self-exclusion register will also be introduced, giving individuals a mechanism to block themselves from accessing gambling services across licensed operators.

Advertising rules form another key element of the new regime. Adults will be required to opt in before receiving gambling marketing communications, and gambling advertisements will be prohibited on television and radio between 5.30am and 9pm.

To support enforcement, the GRAI has been granted investigative authority and significant financial sanctioning powers. The regulator may issue fines of up to €20 million, or 10% of an operator’s turnover, whichever amount is greater. It may also seek court orders requiring illegal operators to cease activity.

“The act provides the GRAI with the necessary enforcement powers to take appropriate and focused action where licensees fail to comply with licensing terms, conditions and regulations, and to deal with unlicensed operators, those operating without the correct licence, or those in contravention of the terms of a licence issued by the authority,” O’Callaghan said.

Source:

“Irish government approves licensing and regulatory powers for GRAI“, igamingbusiness.com, February 4, 2026.