The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland began issuing remote betting and betting intermediary licences on 1 July 2026

02 November 2026

The first licences cover remote betting services, including online and telephone, and include certain intermediaries who facilitate the remote placing of bets. The GRAI now has oversight of these operators, and has implemented stricter consumer protections in one fell swoop.

What Changed on 1 July 2026

The 1 July 2026 commencement date covered online betting, phone-bet services and intermediaries under Ireland’s regulatory framework, all of which faced a live deadline under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024.

The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) on 1 July 2026 began granting its first remote betting and betting intermediary licences.

The licences issued by the GRAI on 1 July 2026 were the first granted under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024. The licences cover both remote betting and betting intermediary services, expanding Ireland's regulatory regime.

The newly licensed operators offer gambling services without a physical location, instead placing wagers over the phone or the internet. Certain intermediaries who match bettors or otherwise facilitate the placing of bets remotely can also now hold an Irish licence.

The licences issued on 1 July 2026 required operators to meet the GRAI’s requirements, including on identity and age verification, prevented deployment of software on devices without user consent, and banned credit cards for payment.

The 2024 Act defines remote betting as the provision of one or more facilities for gambling on a bet by remote communication, including by phone, smart device or IT system. Licensed betting intermediaries are defined as acting as an intermediary or agent to arrange a bet, or entering into an agreement to arrange one. Remote intermediaries are those who arrange for another person to place a bet by means of remote communication.

Before these licences, in-person betting operators had to be licensed, but remote and online betting was only allowed if authorised by an international body with whom Ireland had a recognition in place and who licensed the operator.

The onset of the 1 July 2026 scheme was partially enabled by a commencement order signed on 3 February 2026 and enacted on 5 February 2026. That order facilitated not only online betting, but also the granting of premises, special event, and B2C sport- and horse-racing licences, though those were not active as of July 2026.

February 2026 Commencement Order Signals Tighter Regulations

The February 2026 commencement order enabled the GRAI to issue licences and granted it powers to investigate operators, impose fines and censure, and act against unlicensed activity.

When Ireland’s Minister for Justice signed the February 2026 order for the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland's (GRAI) licensing powers, it handed the regulator significant powers to investigate operators, to impose financial penalties and other sanctions, and to shut down or take action against unlicensed or unlicenced gambling businesses or activities.

On 3 February 2026, Minister Jim O’Callaghan signed a commencement order to allow the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) to issue licences, imparting to it the power to licence remote gambling services from July 2026, while also enabling safety mechanisms to protect gamers, including through sensible self-limits, parental controls for young people, and bans on credit cards.

The commencement order signed by the Minister for Justice gave to the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) the statutory authority to issue licences and undertake other powers in relation to online gambling. These include the issuing of licences, and the power to investigate, to fine or censure, or to close down gambling operators and activities found to be operating without a licence or in transgression of stipulated rules.

Among the actions empowered by the order are not only kicking-out, fining, and censuring of unlicenced operators, but also stopping unlicensed gambling activities, including in the area of software.

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The order came into effect on 5 February 2026, but did not include all the protections which later operated under the 1 July 2026 licencing. But it was the first step on the path to formalizing GRAI’s operation under the 2024 Act.

As of February 2026, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) was empowered by a commencement order enabling it to grant licences for gambling from 1 July 2026, investigate operators, penalise, and address unlicenced activity. The order barred credit cards from being used to pay for gambling.

The commencement order signed in February 2026 giving licensing power to the GRAI raises questions about enforcement and its relation to the earlier Supreme Court judgment on online gambling.

New Online-Betting Safeguards to Protect Consumers

The Gambling Regulation Act 2024 has progressively commenced since 5 February 2026, introducing protections for online gamblers, including through mandated limits and a ban on credit cards.

The commencement order signed in February 2026 to empower the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) not only provided licensing, but also a raft of consumer safeguards. These covered online gambling limits for gamblers to set themselves and which must then be observed, protections for children, and a national prohibition on the use of credit cards to pay for gambling.

The Gambling Regulation Act 2024, commenced in stages from 5 February 2026, includes for consumers the ability to limit how much they gamble online, the presence of self-imposed limits on spending, a ban on credit cards being used to pay for gambling, and measures to protect children online.

Citizen Information, the state’s consumer body, says that under the Act, drivers of online gambling must show “diligent care” in safeguarding the vulnerable, especially children, and must have in place an age-verification system, so that gambling is not accessible to children. Among the mandated checks is proof of age from a photo ID, and also proof of address and a bank or building-society statement, three categories to provide.

GRAI, Federal tax office, and other gambling regulators worldwide established last year a block on gambling companies collecting payments on credit cards, or using such cards to facilitate transfer.

What Operators Must Do to Comply

Licensed gambling operations of the sort which were issued on 1 July 2026 are subject to a raft of regulations under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 and the 2026 regulations.

Licensed gambling operators must verify a gambler’s age and identity, in the case of remote gambling including by checking a photo ID and bank or building-society statement. They must also set and enforce monetary limits on how much a customer can gamble with them, deny credit or the use of a credit card to fund gambling, and be able to close an account when requested and provide a refund.

The regulated, newly licenced operators must also provide customer support and safeguard under-age gamblers.

Gambling Licences To Come

The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) licence system did not end with the issuance of licensing to online-betting businesses from 1 July 2026. GRAI yesterday confirmed that licensing of other types of gambling categories would be implemented in 2027 and 2028. These included gaming categories, B2B wholesale businesses, lotteries, charitable and philanthropic.

The GRAI said it anticipated further nuances to the licensing structure in 2027 and 2028, targeting different types of gambling for licencing and regulation, including gaming, B2B, lotteries and charitable and philanthropic licensing.