The leader of the Irish Labour Party has called for a complete ban on gambling ads across Ireland.
Ivana Bacik told the Sunday Independent that Ireland must follow other European nations in enacting a ban “in recognition of the harm caused by advertising to those at risk of gambling addiction”.
This sentiment was sparked by Bacik viewing an ad placed outside of a BoyleSports shop in Dublin, which encouraged customers to open an account and explicitly noted that a bank account was not required to do so.
“We know that gambling companies prey on the vulnerabilities of problem gamblers. It is deeply concerning to see companies targeting people with addiction issues. Labour’s senator Mark Wall has called for a ban on all gambling ads to stamp out this behaviour. We have a serious issue with gambling in this country, and it must be addressed,” said Ms Bacik.
In response, a BoyleSports spokesperson told the newspaper that its “robust” processes are fully aligned with all legal and regulatory requirements.
The spokesperson added that all customers go through “a very strict verification process when opening an online account”, however, they failed to address concerns surrounding its processes related to in-person betting at retail stores.
Start of a new era
The Labour Party’s criticism presents one of the first challenges for Ireland’s newly formed Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI).
Established in March 2025, the body has been charged with overseeing the Irish market and the phased rollout of Ireland’s Gambling Regulation Act 2024 following its approval by the Oireachtas (Ireland’s parliament).
Among the new frameworks is a comprehensive regulation of gambling advertisements, headlined by a watershed on gambling advertisements between 5.30am and 9pm, which is expected to come into effect next year.
In addition, operators will need to obtain explicit consent before sending or serving online ads or marketing messages to individuals, including across social media and on-demand content.
Is prohibition the way forward?
While these stipulations significantly limit the advertising powers of operators in the country, Bacik – whose Labour Party sits as the joint-second biggest opponent to the leading Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael coalition – referenced the fact that other countries across Europe have chosen to implement a complete ad ban.
However, it should be noted that various examples of this happening have appeared to backfire.
For example, in Spain, a 2020 Royal Decree heavily restricted advertising, including a similar limit on when gambling ads could be broadcast.
However, many of the rules were rolled back in 2024 following a Supreme Court ruling, which led to a flourishing of the country’s market as the number of online players increased by 21.36%.
Meanwhile, Italy is currently considering reversing its 2018 Dignity Decree, which prohibited all forms of gambling advertising, as industry stakeholders have warned that the decision has fuelled significant black market growth.
