Ireland, once home to some of the world’s most powerful betting brands, has long taken a surprisingly light-touch approach to gambling regulation.
The island that produced Flutter Entertainment – parent of Paddy Power and Betfair – as well as domestic heavyweight BoyleSports relied until recently on a patchwork of outdated laws and a tax certificate system administered through revenue. Oversight was fragmented; enforcement powers were modest as the regulatory system had not kept pace with the complexity of the market.
But that has now changed. In early February, with the commencement of key provisions of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 and the opening of applications for betting licenses, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) began operating as a centralized regulator with sweeping supervisory and enforcement powers.
