GRAI (Ireland) gambling licence: what it covers and what it means for players

For players in Great BritainA GRAI licence only covers gambling provided in Ireland. Under the Gambling Act 2005, s.33 read with s.36(3) and (3A) (as amended by the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014), providing remote gambling facilities that are used in Great Britain without a Gambling Commission operating licence is an offence, and s.330 makes advertising unlawful gambling an offence. An Irish licence therefore does not allow anyone to offer gambling to people in Great Britain. Northern Ireland has its own separate gambling law and is not covered by a GRAI licence either. How to check a site.

Licence types

Remote Betting Licence (online and telephone betting; includes pool betting) – the first licences, in force from 1 July 2026
Remote Betting Intermediary Licence (platforms that let people bet with each other; the GRAI says prediction markets offering betting fall into this category) – in force from 1 July 2026
In-Person Betting Licence (betting shops; includes pool betting) – applications opened February 2026, due to start later in 2026
Remote and In-Person Gaming Licences, Remote and In-Person Lottery Licences, business-to-business (B2B), charitable and philanthropic licences – to open in phases through 2027 and 2028

What players get

Licensees must not let children gamble or employ children, and must verify the age and identity of anyone opening an online account; remote gambling requires an account
Players must be able to set a spending limit with the operator
Licensees may not accept credit cards (including e-wallets funded by credit card) or offer credit
Winnings may not be unreasonably withheld
Accounts must be closed on written request or after 13 months of inactivity; terms and conditions must be provided at first use and whenever they change; a link to parental-control software must be shown
Complaints: the GRAI investigates complaints that a licensee breached its legal obligations, but does not settle individual disputes; players must take disputes to the operator first
Not yet in force (as of October 2026): the advertising, sponsorship and inducement rules, the National Gambling Exclusion Register and the Social Impact Fund

How to check a licence

Check the GRAI public register of licence holders at https://www.grai.ie/register, which can be viewed and filtered online or downloaded as CSV (it showed 'Last updated: September 21st, 2026' when checked). Until gaming licences are issued, the GRAI licenses only betting, so an online casino cannot yet hold a GRAI licence.

Recent changes

2024-10-23: Gambling Regulation Act 2024 (Act 35 of 2024) signed into law
2025-03: GRAI formally established
2026-02-04: Minister for Justice signed a commencement order allowing the GRAI to accept betting licence applications and commencing its enforcement and complaints functions
2026-02-09: GRAI opened for remote and in-person betting licence applications
2026-07-01: First GRAI licences (remote betting and remote betting intermediary) took effect; operators offering online or phone betting in Ireland now need a GRAI licence
2026-07-13: GRAI launched a national campaign on spotting underage gambling, with HSE Addiction Services

Context

The GRAI is a new regulator: its licensing began in 2026, so it has no long enforcement record yet

The GRAI says providing betting without its licence is a criminal offence carrying up to eight years' imprisonment, and that it has begun identifying unlicensed operators

The GRAI has stated that prediction markets offering betting to people in Ireland need a remote betting intermediary licence

Not yet verified

Exact day in March 2025 when the GRAI was established (the GRAI says only 'March 2025')
Start date for in-person betting licences ('later in the year' per GRAI) and the expected start of the National Gambling Exclusion Register
Number of licences on the register was not counted
Trade-press claim that previous Revenue bookmaker licences ended on 30 June 2026 was not confirmed from Revenue

We could not confirm these from a primary source, so we have not stated them as fact.