The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) has launched a public consultation regarding the country’s proposed gambling licensing regulations, which will begin on a phased basis.
GRAI is asking industry stakeholders, including operators and the public, for feedback on its plans for regulations regarding fees, duration and additional conditions linked to gambling licences.
The regulator’s gradual approach for its different gambling licence types will open at varied stages. The licence types issued by the regulator via the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 include B2C licences for operators, B2B licences for suppliers, as well as licences for charitable and philanthropic purposes.
Remote and in-person B2C licence applications will open in December this year, followed by remote-only licence applications near the end of the first quarter of 2026, but this order and commencement timing are subject to change and are expected to take several months.
Applications will be reviewed to make sure all necessary information and documentation have been submitted. Numerous checks will then take place to verify that the information provided is correct and for due consideration before a decision on the licence is made.
Between 7 April and 5 May, GRAI’s consultation will ask for stakeholder views on two sets of proposed regulations.
The first set of regulations will set the application fee for betting and gaming licences under section 38 of the 2024 Act.
The second set of regulations will set the duration of a gambling licence under section 108 of the 2024 Act, as well as set out some additional conditions that will apply to gambling licences under section 129 of the 2024 Act.
The launch of the public consultation from GRAI follows on from the regulator signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UK Gambling Commission earlier this month, establishing a cooperation framework and broad collaboration principles between the two parties.
On this agreement, CEO of GRAI, Anne Marie Caulfield, said: “This Memorandum of Understand with the UK Gambling Commission is an important step in formalising the working relationship between the two regulators and I would like to thank Andrew Rhodes, and a number of his colleagues across the various areas of the Commission for their advice and support over the past number of months.
“Ireland and the UK share many of the same operators and gambling practices, so putting this agreement in place will enhance our ability to share information and discharge our respective regulatory responsibilities effectively.
“Open dialogue and close cooperation between both jurisdictions is paramount and I greatly look forward to continuing this close cooperation for the years to come.”
