Under the nation’s Gambling Regulation Act 2024, Ireland’s gambling regulator has been tasked with awarding licences to operators for all forms of gambling in Ireland, with the exception of the national lottery.
GRAI began the process yesterday (27 March) by asking potential licensees to register interest in their chosen gambling licence. GRAI wants to measure the level of applicants across each type of licence to better understand the size and scope of the market.
It also wants to build out a contact list of potential licences so it can update them once the system is rolled out.
Operators and suppliers can register their interest for a licence by taking part in the GRAI survey here.
Speaking to iGB earlier this month, GRAI CEO Anne-Marie Caulfield said the regulator would prioritise the licence process over other parts of the regulatory framework, as “the vast majority of the obligations” it will enforce are related to the licensing structure.
“We anticipate that we’ll be able to open for betting licence [applications] both online and on-site [land-based] before the end of the year. And then we’re moving on to online gaming early in 2026 and then working our way through the other phases of licensing out to 2027,” Caulfield told iGB.
Ireland’s gambling regulator was established under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 last year. Once licences are in place, it will enforce new restrictions on operators based on the regulatory framework, including a watershed on advertising hours and restrictions on promotions.
What types of licence are available under Ireland’s GRAI
The regulator will issue three types of gambling licences: B2C, B2B and charity licences.
B2C operators can register their interest in a remote betting, in-person betting or remote betting intermediary licence. There are also licences available for remote gaming and lottery.
A gambling service licence would cover services such as online hosting, risk management, software or equipment maintenance and providing odds and trading services to licensees.
A B2B licence would cover gaming machines and physical hardware available to licence out to operators.
Lastly, the authority can issue licences for charitable or philanthropic purposes. This would include activities such as pool betting at an event or a lottery.
However, the GRAI noted that it does not believe it will be able to open charity licence applications this year. Charities can still apply for licences under the permit system that is currently in place.
Caulfield told iGB that the incoming licensing structure is built around three pillars. Each operator will have to go through corporate checks, financial checks and technical checks as part of the regulator’s due diligence process.
“There’ll be a fairly thorough vetting system for [operators] and that will be our priority in the first instance,” Caulfield said.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/gaming/gaming-regulation/irelands-gambling-regulator-aiming-to-open-licensing-application-window-later-this-year/
