'When gambling is unlicensed, the risk of harm is radically increased'
Ireland is in a period of change. The country has moved from establishing a new gambling regulator to launching practical licensing. The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) now oversees land-based and online gaming, betting, and most lotteries. SiGMA News spoke with GRAI Chief Executive Anne Marie Caulfield about the regulator’s priorities, the changes operators should expect, and the examples Ireland is drawing on as it builds its new framework.
Main priority for GRAI
The regulator began operating on 5 March 2025, marking Ireland’s shift from an outdated model to a modern licensing system. That system is now moving into real market implementation.
Caulfield says the first stage must be built around licensing because it creates legal obligations for operators towards players. Once licensed in Ireland, every operator must comply with the Gambling Regulation Act 2024. The goal is to provide consumers with legal protection while creating a level playing field for operators. Licensing is therefore not a formality. It is the central mechanism of the new regime.
“Licensing is central to the new regulatory framework, and so the GRAI’s main priority is to roll out licensing as quickly as possible”
GRAI began accepting licence applications for remote and land-based betting on 9 February 2026. The first licences are expected by July 2026. Later phases will cover gaming products, lotteries, charitable gambling activities, and service suppliers. The rollout is staged to ensure an orderly transition from the old system to the new one.
Tackling the illegal market
Caulfield describes a second priority as action against unlicensed operators. She describes the black market not only as a loss of regulatory oversight but as a direct risk to children and vulnerable players, and as a threat to personal data and financial security. Unlicensed platforms, she says, attract minors and individuals showing signs of problem gambling, do not apply anti-money laundering controls, and provide no reliable guarantees on payouts or data safety.
“When gambling is unlicensed, oversight is removed, and the risk of harm is radically increased”
Caulfield says the regulator is already working with law enforcement, international regulators, and partners inside and outside Ireland.
Protecting children
Child protection is positioned as central to GRAI’s work. Caulfield calls age limits a core part of regulation and stresses that breaches can trigger serious sanctions.
“Ireland now has the highest penalties in Europe for offences involving children being exposed to gambling, with potential sentences of up to 8 years’ imprisonment for gambling offences which involve children”
The approach goes beyond criminal enforcement. GRAI has already restricted social media advertising and introduced ATM limits at gambling venues.
Advertising and inducements
Even before issuing its first licences, the regulator has been taking action to limit gambling advertising and game incentives. In December 2024, GRAI partnered with the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASA Ireland) to strengthen monitoring and protect the public from improper content. Measures introduced included a restriction on gambling advertising before 21:00.
SiGMA News also covered research by Ireland’s Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), which found that free bets and money-back guarantees lead players to spend 10 percent more. GRAI representatives described those incentives as harmful, while researchers urged caution in interpreting the results.
Caulfield says new restrictions always affect operators, but notes that GRAI runs consultations with the industry and publishes guidance on changes in advertising and inducements. In the coming months, the regulator will issue additional guidance and host a webinar on how the obligations will apply once the provisions take effect. Oversight will be phased, starting with clarification and progressing to active monitoring. GRAI also plans to explain how it will assess complaints under the new law.
The national self-exclusion register
Explaining why people need the ability to self-exclude, Caulfield refers to ESRI research from 2023.
“130,000 adults in Ireland are experiencing problem gambling. A further 279,000 were identified as being at moderate risk of gambling harm”
A national self-exclusion register is positioned as a core tool. It will allow people who recognise signs of harmful behaviour to self-exclude, with the mechanism becoming legally binding.
“It will be a criminal offence for a remote gambling licensee to accept payment from, or facilitate gambling activity by, an individual named on the register”
GRAI says it will both enforce compliance and actively promote the register so that people who need it can use it. The regulator plans to rely on stakeholder input and research and to support additional services for those who enrol.
The Social Impact Fund
Another key element is the Social Impact Fund. It will be financed through mandatory contributions calculated annually based on each licensee’s turnover. Harm reduction measures will shift from voluntary initiatives to operating conditions.
Caulfield says GRAI will determine how funding is allocated. The funds are intended to reduce the risk of addiction, support recovery, strengthen community resilience, and reduce the share of players experiencing harm.
The fund will also support public awareness, providing tools for self-help and self-exclusion, routes to third-party support, and online protection. The model is designed so that the industry is not only allowed to operate, but also finances prevention infrastructure, treatment, and social research.
Ireland is learning from Europe
Caulfield says GRAI is building its system using international experience. The regulator is a member of the Gambling Regulators European Forum, which brings together 41 jurisdictions, and it co-chairs the responsible gambling group.
GRAI has already signed memoranda with the UK Gambling Commission, the Belgian Gambling Commission, the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, and the Alderney Gambling Control Commission. Discussions with other jurisdictions are ongoing.
This article was first published on the Russian SiGMA News page on 8 June 2026.
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