Gambling In Ireland | Laws, Regulations and Statistics

Published on 14th September 2020 by James

Players from all over the world enjoy the odd bet from time to time, whether it be online or at the host of betting shops dotted across each country. However, with more and more operators choosing to conduct their business online, the gambling landscape has changed, but is that true in Ireland?

Well, as the gambling industry is constantly evolving to adapt to the latest demands, laws and regulations the situation is in a constant state of fluidity. But, for now at least, you’ll find all of the latest information relating to Irish gambling laws and gambling statistics throughout this page. So, if you’re curious to discover the current attitudes and legalities towards gambling from the Emerald Isle, be sure to read on!

Irish Licence Laws For Online Gambling

After painstakingly sifting through the mountain of online legal documents relating to online gambling licensing laws in Ireland it turns out there’s no specific licensing regime or regulatory body that oversees its practice. It’s a similar state of affairs to Canada, whereby online casinos that operate remotely enable players from Ireland to gamble online. However, the Irish Government has indicated that it’s keen to introduce some sort of modern licensing regime to attract reputable operators, which will then allow them to either relocate or establish a base of operations within Ireland.

Irish Gambling Regulations

Elsewhere in Ireland, the legal gambling landscape is a bit clearer. The Revenue Commissioners regulate multiple types of betting relating to sports and horse racing, whilst the Regulator of the National Lottery, understandably, regulates all lotteries. These are underpinned by certain laws, which relate to the different types of gambling as follows:

Gaming:

• Casino-style games, poker and lotteries – Gaming and Lotteries Acts 1956 – 2013.
• Gaming machines – Finance Act 1975 (section 43)
• Amusement machines – Finance Act 1992 (sections 120 – 129)

Betting:

•  Online and offline bookmaking – The Betting Acts 1931 – 2015
• Tote betting – The Totaliser Act 1929

Lotteries:

• National Lottery – The National Lottery Act 2013

Responsible Gaming

Although Ireland currently lacks a dedicated gambling regulatory body, there are still plenty of measures in place to help potential problem gamblers. Therefore, if you ever feel there comes a time when you might need to limit or entirely restrict your access to online casinos you can do so in several ways.

• Deposit Limits: Whenever you sign up for a new online casino account, the site will likely ask if you wish to set a deposit limit. This allows you to set a fixed amount that you’re able to deposit within a certain time frame – once you reach this amount, you won’t be able to add any more funds to your account. Usually, you can alter this amount whenever you wish to, whether it be to increase or decrease your limit. However, in most cases, it won’t take effect instantly. There will be a waiting period before the changes are made to your account to ensure you can’t circumvent your own limits.

• Loss Limits: This is similar to a deposit limit insofar that once you reach the specific amount, you’re no longer able to place wagers. However, as opposed to placing a cap on your deposits, loss limits take into account how much money you’ve lost within a given time frame.

• Bet Limits: Bet limits can be put in place to restrict how much you’re able to stake per wager. They’re a great way of keeping a close eye on how much you’re betting per given slot spin or card hand and help to prevent any accidental or intentional wagers that exceed the chosen amount.

• Time Outs And Self-Exclusion: In addition to all of the above measures, you can also choose to take a break from your account. Each online casino should have a set of tools that allow you to lock your account for a specified amount of time, meaning you’ll be unable to log in and play for the duration – a week, 2 weeks, a month or potentially longer. However, if you’d prefer to stop playing at a site indefinitely, there are also ways of excluding yourself entirely. This can often be found within your player account settings but you may also need to get in touch with customer support to finalise the process.

Player Protection

Now, all of the tools that we’ve mentioned above are, of course, there to protect players when gambling online. However, these are certain things that players can decide whether or not they want to implement. To be classified as a safe and secure online casino, sites must also have additional measures in place that serve to protect everyone who visits and plays at the site. These range from customer support options and the latest encryption technologies to third-party testing agencies that ensure the site’s games operate on a fair basis. For more information, check below.

• Customer support: Should an issue ever arise when you’re gambling online, you want the confidence that a member of support can resolve your issue. Thankfully, licensed and regulated sites that welcome Irish players typically have full coverage support options. This means that you could contact a representative via the live chat feature or get in touch by email or telephone. Additionally, most sites have 24/7 support so there’s always somebody at the other end to help.

• Site security: When gambling online you’re entrusting both your personal and banking information to your chosen online casino. As such, sites must utilise the latest encryption technologies to prevent any malicious data breaches. Thankfully, most Irish online casinos employ a 128-bit SSL encryption so that when a data request is sent between a client and a web server it shouldn’t be intercepted.

• Third-party testing: It’s also very important that every casino game available at a site is tested to ensure it’s mechanically sound. The best casino game providers do, of course, test each and every title before release but there are also third-party agencies that regularly test the integrity of a casino’s games. Companies such as eCogra (eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance) and iTech Labs, amongst many others, monitor and test both the RNG and live dealer games to ensure the results are fair and random. Therefore, if you see a third-party testing seal at your chosen online casino you can rest assured in the knowledge that everything’s above board.

Our List of Irish Casinos

Now that you’re fully informed as to Ireland’s gambling laws and regulations you may be looking for somewhere to play. Instead of spending your time searching for the best online casinos in Ireland, be sure to check out our list of Irish casinos below. Our experts have taken the utmost care in ensuring each site is trustworthy and secure and that they also offer a fully-engaging player experience. So, if you fancy trying out the latest online slots, table games and live casino titles any of the gambling sites below would be a great place to start!

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