The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland

The GRAI is inviting submissions from stakeholders, operators and the public in a new public consultation.Under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, the GRAI has the power to make regulations. This consultation concerns three proposed regulations under the Act.They relate to:Section 86 on prescribed games.This section of the legislation requires the GRAI to prescribe a list of games a gaming licensee can provide. An operator’s gaming licence, once granted, will specify which of these games that licensee can provide. Earlier this year, we invited operators to participate in an initial information gathering surveys on ‘Prescribed Games’ for remote gaming and in-person gaming. The opinions expressed in the survey have informed the GRAI’s approach. This consultation concerns the list of games we propose to prescribe for that purpose.Section 152 on records and accounts that licensees are required to keep and maintain.These regulations prescribe certain records and accounts which are required to be kept and maintained by certain licensees under the Act. The regulations have been drafted to encompass obligations in the Act, best practice internationally, gambling safety and the audit and inspections process via Quarterly Returns in particular.Section 173 on information that remote gambling licensees must provide to account holders. These regulations prescribe certain information that remote gambling licensees must provide to account-holders, the intervals at which they must send alerts to account holders detailing winnings and losses and the time spent gambling through their accounts, and the periods which those licensees must provide account-holders with immediate access to their gambling history. There are also practical guidelines for implementing Section 173.The public consultation will remain open until 3pm on Thursday 20 August 2026. The GRAI will carefully consider the submissions made to the public consultation prior to making these new regulations.Further details on the proposed regulations and information on how to submit a response to the consultation can be found here.

The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) has today published its inaugural Annual Report for 2025.Formally established in March 2025, the GRAI’s role is to licence, supervise and control gambling activities as set out in the Gambling Regulation Act 2024.In its first year of existence, the GRAI undertook significant preparatory work as it set about building a modern, robust framework to regulate the gambling sector in Ireland.At the core of this work was the Authority’s Statement of Strategy 2025-2027, which sets out a roadmap for the first stage of regulation which focuses on building strong foundations, developing robust systems of licensing, compliance and enforcement, and engaging openly with stakeholders across society. Six pillars underpin the GRAI’s strategy for the first three years: licensing; monitoring and compliance; enforcement; consumer protection and awareness; people, organisation, and governance; and a digital-first approachThe 2025 Annual Report outlines the initial steps taken, with the GRAI developing processes for the rollout of phased licensing and laying the groundwork for compliance, enforcement, and consumer protection functions.Commenting on the publication of the GRAI’s first Annual Report Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan said:“Last year was a significant year as a new era for the regulation of gambling in Ireland commenced."The establishment of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, together with its three-year strategy, signalled a strong commitment to replacing Ireland’s outdated gambling laws with a modernised and robust licencing framework. The legislation is built around an important mandate which balances the rights of citizens to gamble, and the rights of legitimate operators to conduct lawful business. The GRAI has taken significant steps in bringing the ambition behind the legislation to fruition.”GRAI chairperson Paul Quinn commented:“Gambling regulation is an increasingly complex task. As a newly established independent regulator, we have been entrusted with a vital public mandate. 2025 was a formative and vital one for the GRAI as we put the essential building blocks in place to ensure we are a trusted, recognised and effective regulator of the gambling sector in Ireland."The Authority is acutely aware of both the responsibilities conferred on it by the Oireachtas and the challenges inherent in regulating a dynamic and technologically enabled sector. We look forward to continuing to work with the Minister to ensure we have the capabilities and legislative measures required to successfully fulfil the strong mandate entrusted to us."The task ahead is to regulate in a manner that is robust, proportionate and responsive to risk while remaining firmly anchored in the protection of those most vulnerable to gambling-related harm.”In 2025, the GRAI focused on building the structures, systems, staff and capabilities required to implement a comprehensive gambling licencing, compliance and enforcement regime, ahead of its first invitation for applications for remote betting licences in February 2026.The GRAI launched its first major brand awareness campaign in October 2025, based on ESRI research highlighting the  extent of harmful gambling in Ireland, which is ten times higher than previously thought.The GRAI also set about designing the administrative, governance and ICT systems necessary to administer funding through the Social Impact Fund, which will be used to fund treatment, education, awareness and research into gambling harm.GRAI chief executive officer Anne Marie Caulfield stated:“The establishment of the GRAI is ongoing, but it is progressing strongly. The two central objectives of our legislation are to ensure that people are protected when they choose to gamble, and that licensees operate in a properly regulated environment. Since these protections are grounded in the legal obligations on licenced entities, the GRAI has prioritised licencing. I am confident that the foundations we laid in 2025 are strong, enabling us to continue to build an effective regulator for the gambling sector, which helps to protect an informed public from gambling harms."What we have achieved to date is the culmination of a lot of work by a very dedicated team of colleagues in the GRAI. It has also involved close collaboration with our parent Department, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, other Regulators, other State Agencies, and our wide-ranging stakeholders.  We have a common goal, that of putting consumer protection, the reduction of harmful gambling, and the safeguarding of children at the centre of how this industry is regulated.”You can read the GRAI’s Annual Report 2025: in English / as Gaeilge

The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) is pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB), signalling partnership and cooperation between one of the most recently established Gambling regulators and the world’s widely recognised oldest and longest-standing dedicated gaming regulator. The MOU is the first between the GRAI and a gambling regulatory entity in the United States, marking a first step in collaboration between Irish and American gambling authorities. With the recent commencement of licensing for online and remote betting services in Ireland, both the GRAI and the NGCB recognise the need for diligence in terms of regulating and licensing online platforms where an increasing amount of gambling and betting takes place, often across borders. Anne Marie Caulfield CEO of the GRAI, said: “The knowledge and expertise that the Nevada Gaming Control Board have in terms of gambling regulation are very valuable to us in the GRAI. “We very much welcome the insight, guidance, and experience that the NGCB can provide to the GRAI as a newly established regulator, and I look forward to our continued partnership with the shared goal of consumer protection and public health and safety at the heart of operations.” “We are pleased to sign an MOU with the GRAI and look forward to sharing best practices with them and advancing our collaboration,” said NGCB Chairman Mike DreitzerPictured at the ICE 2026 event held in Barcelona earlier this year are Rebecca Coen (GRAI), Mike Dreitzer (NGCB) and Anne Marie Caulfield (GRAI).