Ireland's New Gambling Law: What the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 Changes for Punters in 2026

Updated October 2026 · By the IrishBetGuide team

If you've had a bet in Ireland in the last year, you'll have noticed things changing: new terms from your bookie, fewer flashy offers, talk of a new regulator. That's the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 kicking in. Here's what's actually in the new law, what has already started, what's still coming, and what it means for you as a punter, explained the way we'd tell a mate over a pint.

18+ only. We're not lawyers and this isn't legal advice. The brands we link to, including Cloudbet (licensed in Curaçao), are not licensed by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) and sit outside the protections described below.

Why Ireland needed a new law

Before this, Irish gambling ran on laws dating back to the 1930s and 1950s, patched over the years. Bookmakers got licences through the Revenue Commissioners, casinos were in a legal grey zone, and online gambling had grown up almost entirely outside any modern rulebook. Successive governments promised reform; the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 is the result. It does three big things:

1. Creates a single, independent regulator: the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI).
2. Replaces the old licences with a new licensing system for betting, gaming and lotteries, online and in person.
3. Brings in consumer protections, advertising rules and serious penalties.

The timeline: what's live and what's coming

Source: GRAI announcements. Later dates can shift, so check grai.ie for the latest.

One knock-on effect: online betting operators serving Irish customers now need a GRAI licence. The GRAI publishes a register of licensees you can search yourself.

The licence types, in plain English

• Betting licences: for bookmakers, online, by phone or in shops, and for betting intermediaries such as exchanges.
• Gaming licences: for casino-style games, including online casinos. Not open yet.
• Lottery licences: for lotteries other than the National Lottery, which has its own regime.
• Charitable and philanthropic licences: for club lotto draws, raffles and fundraising.
• Business-to-business (B2B) licences: for companies that supply games and platforms to operators.

Old rules vs new rules at a glance

The direction of travel is clear: more protection for punters, more responsibility for operators, and a much harder line on anyone operating or promoting outside the system.

What changes for you as a punter

Most of the rules bind licensed operators. They apply as each licence category commences and as the regulations behind them come into force, so not everything below is live for every product yet. The Act provides for:

1. An advertising watershed

Gambling ads on TV, radio and on-demand audiovisual services are banned between 5.30am and 9pm. The aim is to reduce how much gambling advertising children and young people see.

2. Tighter rules online and on social media

Licensees can only advertise to people on social media and video-sharing platforms who have chosen to follow them, and people must be able to opt out easily. Ads can't target children, can't suggest gambling solves money problems, and can't link gambling to sexual success or social acceptance.

3. Limits on inducements

The Act restricts the kind of offers that encourage you to keep gambling or to gamble more: free bets, bonuses and similar inducements are heavily restricted for licensees, and VIP-style schemes come under scrutiny.

4. No credit cards

Licensees can't accept credit cards for gambling. The idea is simple: you shouldn't be able to gamble with borrowed money at the tap of a card.

5. A national exclusion register

The Act provides for a National Gambling Exclusion Register run by the GRAI. When it's in place, you'll be able to exclude yourself from all licensed operators in one go, rather than site by site.

6. Safer-gambling tools

Licensees will have to offer tools like deposit and spending limits, and to train staff to spot harm.

7. A complaints route

If a licensed operator won't resolve your complaint, you can bring it to the GRAI.

8. Protecting children

Strict bans on gambling by under-18s, and on sponsoring events or organisations aimed at children.

9. The Social Impact Fund

Licensees contribute to a Social Impact Fund, which supports research, awareness and treatment for gambling harm.

Penalties

According to the GRAI, breaches can lead to licence suspension or revocation, financial penalties of up to €20 million or 10% of turnover (whichever is greater), and criminal prosecution, with prison terms of up to eight years for the most serious offences. The GRAI can also go to the courts to stop prohibited activity.

The GRAI has warned influencers and affiliates that promoting unlicensed operators can be treated as a criminal offence. And Google requires gambling advertisers targeting Ireland to hold a GRAI licence from September 2026.

Who else the law affects

Sports clubs and sponsorship

The Act bans gambling sponsorship of events where most participants or attendees are children, events aimed at children, and organisations, clubs or premises aimed at children. Adult sponsorship rules also tighten for licensees. Combined with the GAA's own long-standing ban on gambling sponsorship, it means you'll see less betting branding around Irish grassroots sport.

Broadcasters and media

The 5.30am–9pm watershed changes what you'll see around live sport on Irish TV and radio. Expect fewer odds graphics and bookmaker ads during afternoon racing and weekend matches.

Affiliates and influencers

The GRAI has been direct: promoting operators without an Irish licence can be treated as a criminal offence, and anyone who helps commit an offence can be treated as if they committed it. Licensees are also responsible for making sure third parties advertising for them follow the rules.

Payment providers and platforms

Banks, card schemes, app stores and ad platforms are all adjusting to the new regime, which is why Google now requires a GRAI licence for Irish gambling ads.

How to use the GRAI register

1. Go to grai.ie and find the register of licensees.
2. Search for the bookmaker's trading name, and also the company name from its terms and conditions.
3. Check the licence type (for example, remote betting) matches what you want to do.
4. If you can't find it, assume it isn't GRAI-licensed until you're sure otherwise.

The register is updated as new licences are granted, so a bookmaker that's missing one week may appear the next.

What it means for offshore sites

This is where it gets real for anyone using sites like Cloudbet, BetUS, VegasAces or SlotsParadise. None of them is licensed by the GRAI. In practice:

• The protections above (exclusion register, complaints route, credit card ban, inducement rules) don't apply to them.
• Offshore sites aren't bound by Irish advertising or bonus rules, which is why their offers can look so much bigger.
• If something goes wrong, the GRAI can't help you resolve it.
• Banks, payment firms and platforms may increasingly restrict transactions and promotion for unlicensed operators.

The Act's offences are aimed mainly at providers and those helping them, rather than individual players. But that doesn't make an offshore site "legal in Ireland". We cover that in detail in our guide on whether online betting is legal in Ireland. And to be clear, we will never explain how to get around blocks or restrictions.

What it means for the bookies you know

The big Irish high-street and online bookmakers have been getting their GRAI licences since July 2026. You may have noticed:

• New terms and conditions to accept.
• Fewer, smaller or differently structured promotions.
• More prompts to set deposit limits.
• Changes to how they handle card payments.

That's the new regime working as intended. It may feel less exciting, but it's designed to make gambling safer.

What hasn't changed

• The legal age is still 18.
• Betting winnings are still generally tax-free for individual punters in Ireland (bookmakers pay betting duty). This isn't tax advice.
• The house still has the edge. No law changes the maths.

What to do now

1. Check your bookie is on the GRAI register if you want Irish protections.
2. Set limits on every account you use.
3. Read any new terms your bookie asks you to accept.
4. Be wary of social media promotion from brands you can't find on the register.
5. If you use an offshore site, understand that it's not GRAI-licensed and that Irish protections won't follow you.

Common questions

Is online casino legal in Ireland now?

GRAI gaming licences, which cover online casino, haven't opened yet; they're due in a later phase. So there are no GRAI-licensed online casinos at the moment. Offshore casinos are not GRAI-licensed.

Will the exclusion register cover every site?

It will cover GRAI licensees. Offshore sites are outside it, so you'd need to close those accounts directly.

Can I still get free bets?

The Act heavily restricts inducements for licensees. Exactly what's allowed depends on the regulations as they commence.

Does the law affect the Lotto?

The National Lottery has its own legislation and regulator. Other lotteries, including club and charity draws, come under the new Act.

Why are the bookies' offers smaller now?

Because licensed operators have to follow the new rules on inducements and advertising, and many have redesigned their promotions to fit. Offshore sites that aren't licensed by the GRAI don't follow those rules, which is why their offers can look far more generous. Bigger offers usually come with heavier conditions, and without Irish protection.

Will the law change again?

Almost certainly in the detail. The Act lets the Minister and the GRAI make regulations and codes that fill in specifics over time, and more sections will commence as each licence type opens. Check the GRAI's news page every few months if you bet regularly. We'll update this guide as new parts of the Act come into force, and we date every update at the top of the page.

Need help?

If gambling is affecting you or someone close to you, the Problem Gambling Helpline is free, confidential and open 24/7 on 1800 936 725. See our responsible gambling page.

In short

Ireland's new gambling law swaps decades of patchwork for one regulator, one licensing system and real consumer protections. Online betting licences are live since July 2026; casinos and lotteries come later. Licensed operators face strict rules on ads, offers and credit cards, with heavy penalties for breaches. Offshore sites, including every brand we link to, are not GRAI-licensed and sit outside all of it.