Revenue may only issue Gaming Machine Licences during the validity period of the current Court Certificate. It is an offence to operate a gaming machine under an Amusement Machine Permit. The gaming machine is liable to seizure and the operator liable for prosecution. If you are operating a gaming machine, you must hold a Gaming Licence.
The Gambling Control Bill was approved by Government in July 2013. This Bill will, upon enactment, repeal all extant gaming and betting legislation, with the exception of that governing the National Lottery.
The General Scheme of the Bill is with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to the Government (OPC) awaiting drafting.
Betting Act 1931
The Betting (Amendment) Act 2015 was commenced on 15th April 2015. This legislation amends the Betting Act 1931 and provides for the licensing of remote (on-line) bookmakers and betting intermediaries for the first time.
- The Casino Regulation Committee was set up in August 2006 and its report was published in July 2008 under the title Regulating Gaming In Ireland (PDF - 2.11MB) Review of Gambling A paper entitled Options for Regulating Gambling published in December, 2010, represented the culmination of a public consultation undertaken by the Department as part.
- The most popular form of gambling in Ireland is playing online casino games. This form of entertainment has its rules and restrictions that have to follow without breaking the Irish laws for.
- Ireland’s New Gambling Regulator Is a Necessity. It’s well-known that Ireland has one of the largest online gambling markets in the world. A number of top online gambling companies are based here, many of which bring millions in revenue every single month. The massive amount of both land-based and online gambling options has led to a.
Applications for certificates of personal fitness from remote operators, and terrestrial bookmakers not ordinarily resident in the State, are to be made to the Minister for Justice, following the placement of an advertisement in two daily, national newspapers. The advertisement and the application form are to be in a specified format. You can access these at the link below:
Terrestrial out of State Operators
Remote Operators
Applications for certificates of personal fitness from terrestrial bookmakers ordinarily resident in the State are to be made to a Superintendent of An Garda Síochána. The newspaper advertisement and application form for such operators can be accessed at the following link
Terrestrial Irish Operators
The application form in all instances details the information that is to be submitted in support of an application. It should be noted that an application will not be considered until such time as all such information has been received.
'relevant officer' of a corporate body is defined in section 1 of the 1931 Act as amended by section 2 of the 2015 Act. The first category of person who must apply for a certificate of personal fitness is he or she who exercises control (within the meaning of section 11 or 432 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997) in relation to the corporate body. In addition to such persons, corporate bodies may choose that an individual in either the second or third category of person as defined in section 1 applies for a certificate of personal fitness. The legislation does not require all three categories of person to be deemed a 'relevant officer'.
Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956
The Gaming and Lotteries Acts 1956–2003 allow some limited forms of gambling. This is in order to provide a controlled outlet for people who wish to gamble. It also provides a method of fund-raising for charitable, philanthropic and other socially desirable purposes.
The forms of gambling permitted under the 1956 Act are:
- Lotteries (excluding lotteries covered by the National Lottery Act 2013, which is under the auspices of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform)
- A very limited form of gaming ('gaming' means playing a game (either of skill or chance) for money.)
For more information on gaming and lotteries, see the Review of the Gaming and Lotteries Acts 1956-86 A copy of the 1956 Act is included in the review document.
The Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Act 2019, will come into effect on 1 December 2020. Information Notes for Gaming and Lotteries are available here: Information Notes for Gaming and Lotteries
Information notes for relevant licences and permits can be found here: Information Notes for Gaming and Lotteries
Previous examinations of Ireland’s gambling laws
Casino Regulation Committee
The Casino Regulation Committee was set up in August 2006 and its report was published in July 2008 under the title Regulating Gaming In Ireland (PDF - 2.11MB)
Review of Gambling
A paper entitled Options for Regulating Gambling published in December, 2010, represented the culmination of a public consultation undertaken by the Department as part of an overall review of gambling in Ireland.
Charitable Lotteries Fund
The scheme has now ceased to operate.
Published October 3, 2020 by Lee RConcerns of spikes in betting and addiction have led to a push-back for the launch of Ireland's regulation.
Ireland is experiencing new regulation delays.
The Official Announcement
The discovery comes in the form of the announcement of the delay by Ireland’s Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, who has pushed back the launch of the country’s overhauled gambling regulatory framework until at least 2021.
The Current Legislation
The Ireland Gaming and Lotteries Bill was signed into law December 2019 to address the entire range of gambling product to be available to the country, and is set to deliver a comprehensive set of updated measures that includes limits on gaming machines and maximum prizes.
Revamp Slowed
The revamped legislation was due at some point this year according to Minister of State David Stanton, until the Justice Department notified lawmakers and the government of the need for more time to complete development and launch Ireland's new regulatory framework.
Ireland Online Gambling Regulations
Spikes in Betting
Ireland Online Gambling Laws
Ireland reports indicate a surge in online betting across the country, bringing with that wave commensurate fears of spikes addiction.
Application of New Regulations
The new bill's broader scope seeks to regulate public safety and consumer well-being, and applies to both land-based and online gambling activities; gambling advertising; and gambling websites.
Justice Minister Speaks
McEntee explained the goals of the program to contextualise the announcement of delay, saying:
“The Program for Government gives a clear commitment to establish a gambling regulator focused on public safety and well-being, covering gambling online and in person, and the powers to regulate advertising, gambling websites and apps.”
Slowing to Optimize
McEntee insists the government is committed to an effective model, but new challenges arose in that model's formulation, and the process has been deliberated further to provide regulators with the opportunity to deal with these challenges adequately.
Outlook
Ireland remains a key piece of the greater UK ecosystem, and the need for Ireland to show it's own effective regulation modeling procedure is a key to retaining a more powerful, lucrative, and compliant market across the entire region.