.svg)
Ireland’s remote bookmaker licence holders need to renew with the Revenue Commissioners if they want to continue to hold a licence after June 30.
A spokesperson for the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) said: “To allow our transition, the licence terms have been amended down to 12 months.
“Any renewed licence or indeed new licence issued by Revenue will then expire on the 30th of June, 2026,” the regulator told Vixio GamblingCompliance.
Questions about the renewal should be addressed to the Revenue Commissioners, the Irish government agency responsible for customs, excise, taxation and related matters that has traditionally regulated sports betting.
During the 12-month transition period, the GRAI plans to launch its licence application portal, process applications and issue licences.
“There will be no grandfathering in. Any existing remote bookmaker will need to apply to the gambling regulator when we open for licensing,” the GRAI said.
“We will communicate this through our channels and issue information to our stakeholder list ... and issue guidance documents well in advance of opening this application portal.”
The GRAI, once fully operational, will be the sole body responsible for the regulation and licensing of gambling in Ireland, a spokesperson for the Revenue Commissioners told Vixio.
This means that until relevant sections of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 are in force, the existing licensing regime will continue to operate, and Revenue will continue to issue licences under the Betting Act 1931 and the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956.
Revenue says it has “reached out to relevant licence holders, and will continue to do so as appropriate, regarding the upcoming renewals processes for 2025”.
It also published a bulletin on the above changes on February 10.
GRAI Reaffirms Mission During Office Opening
In another step toward Ireland's new regulatory regime, justice minister Jim O'Callaghan and other officials from his department, as well as minister for state Niall Collins, formally opened the GRAI’s new office on May 19.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, GRAI chairperson Paul Quinn said the regulator will “bring robust and much-needed regulation to gambling in Ireland, giving certainty to the Industry and building trust in the many consumers who enjoy sociable gambling, while also importantly protecting the most vulnerable in our society”.
“It is essential that we build that public and industry trust by getting the three legs of the regulatory stool — licensing, compliance and enforcement — to mutually reinforce each other in creating a robust framework,” he said.
GRAI chief executive Anne Marie Caulfield also promised to keep the public health mandate at “front and centre of everything we do”.
“This commitment is reflected in our mission to effectively regulate and educate in order to safeguard current and future generations from gambling harm,” she said.
Belgian MOU Signed, More EU Partners In Sight
The GRAI has also continued to enter into information-sharing agreements with other regulators, signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Belgian Gaming Commission on May 27.
Caulfield called the latest MOU a “significant step” toward formalising its relationship with the Belgian gambling regulator, praising it for the support and advice Belgian officers had given during the GRAI’s “formative phase”.
The GRAI previously signed an MOU with the UK Gambling Commission, announced last month. It intends to put in place similar agreements “across the EU in the months ahead”.
