THE first licences issued by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland came into effect this week and have already had some impact on punters.

The initial licences cover online and phone betting services. Betting shop and on-course licences will commence later in the year.

Under the new regime licensed operators must now meet strict obligations designed to protect consumers and uphold the integrity of the market. These include age verification requirements to prevent underage gambling, obligations to pay out winnings, safeguards such as a ban on facilitating credit or accepting credit cards and requirements on closing accounts on request.

Operators are subject to ongoing compliance monitoring, and the GRAI has powers to investigate operators, enforce compliance, apply significant sanctions, and take action against unlicensed or illegal activity.

For the vast majority of punters who bet with leading firms such as Paddy Power, bet365, William Hill and Ladbrokes, the transition has been relatively smooth. A small number of Irish-based customers have told The Irish Field they have been asked to submit new identification documents and some companies have been forced to cease offering loyalty schemes which encourage customers to bet more frequently.

Paused operations

British-based company Betfred has not completed the new licensing process and “paused” its Irish operation. A notice on its website discourages Irish-based customers from setting up an account or making a deposit with them. It is not clear if the company plans to resume operations here. Its Irish domain (Betfred.ie) appears to have lapsed and been taken over by an unlicensed ‘black market’ casino operator.

AK Bets, the online betting company founded by on-course bookie Anthony Kaminskas, has also stopped taking bets from Irish customers but the firm expects to be licensed by the GRAI soon.

Kaminskas said: “We’re a bit behind with our licence application. But our customer base is 98% UK, 2% Irish, so I’m not losing any sleep over it. My guess is that it’s going to take six-to-eight weeks to sort out and our Irish customers have been pretty sound about that.”

Asked if the licensing process was unduly difficult, he said: “No, we’ve probably been a bit slow starting the process because it wasn’t a priority for us. From what I’ve heard other operators have had their existing licences extended but we’re so far back in the process we couldn’t get that concession.”

He confirmed there is no change to his on-course business. “I think we renewed the racecourse licence in November and it usually runs for two years. Our online licence still had time to go before it expired too but the rules changed on July 1st in relation to online betting and we were a little bit behind the eight ball on that one.”

”Robust regime”

Speaking about the introduction of the new online betting licences, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan TD, said: “The commencement of licences for remote betting operators establishes a clear and robust regulatory regime for the gambling sector, strengthening Ireland’s reputation as a well-regulated market, and ensuring operators are held to consistent standards of compliance. I welcome the progress made as part of the phased implementation of licences for the gambling sector in Ireland.”

Anne Marie Caulfield, GRAI chief executive, said: “We commenced the roll out of our licensing with the largest segment of the Irish betting market, remote betting. Once an operator is licensed by the GRAI, they are required to comply with all commenced obligations under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024. This means that consumers in Ireland have important new protections when they bet online or over the phone.

“The GRAI licensing application process is substantial with a number of important requirements that operators must satisfy before they can be approved, this is to check that operators are (a) fit and proper, (b) have financial capacity to provide gambling activity, and (c) that winnings are funded from lawful means.

“It is important for consumers to understand the dangers of unlicensed operators. When gambling is unlicensed, oversight is removed and the risk of harm is radically increased. Tackling illegal operators is also a major priority for the GRAI, it is a criminal offence to operate without a betting licence, and our work has commenced in identifying unlicensed operators.”

The GRAI was established with the passing of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024. One of the most controversial parts of that legislation concerns a blanket ban on betting advertisements on television during daylight hours. After failing to secure exemptions, both Sky Sports Racing and Racing TV expressed concerns over the future viability of broadcasting into Ireland. The Irish Field understand this ban won’t be enforced until the first half of 2027.