In Ireland, gambling is a part of the way of life of the average Irish nationals who enjoyed sports betting, horse and greyhound racing, and poker. Other games they love include online casino games, lotteries, and bingo. However, the law that regulates this dynamic gambling industry has not caught up with the fast changes that continue to occur there.

This piece will share the past gambling regulations, and the online casino laws, games, and bonuses, and the future of the gambling laws in Ireland.

Rules of online gambling in Ireland and its History and developments

Ireland has a long history with gambling you can trace to the 1800s. That said, Irish players have always played in legally operated environments. To date, the [betting sites Ireland](https://www.outlookindia.com/outlook-spotlight/best-betting-sites-in-ireland-with-the-best-welcome-offers-2023-news-289065), and the casinos inside or outside Ireland are licensed to run and serve Irish players.

So, despite the lack of a supervising body, gambling of any sort is legal only if you do so in legally licensed service provider sites or with those having license from recognized bodies.

History of the Laws governing the Irish Gambling Industry

We can trace the history of gambling regulations in Ireland to the establishment of the Betting Act of 1854. Then the Betting Act of 1931, came to upgrade the law.

Subsequently, the Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1956 was passed to address noticeable flaws of the former acts and to improve the gaming landscape.

The Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1956 licensed about 13 private members’ clubs, but it banned land-based Casinos in Ireland. The Private member’s clubs offered members casino games like Poker, slots, video poker, and blackjack, and other games. Playing those games was within the prevailing law.

An Upgrade of that law became inevitable with the people’s increasing demand for wider opportunities to gamble, wide use of the internet, and the launch of the smartphone.

Legal Developments of Irish Gambling Laws

In 2011 as part of the development of the online casino industry, Shane Hennessey made his expert contributions to the panel of the 58th World Statistics Congress of the International Statistical Institute.

Next, Alan Shatter drafted the Gambling Control Bill of 2013. The new bill looked to regulate the online gambling industry and gambling in Ireland with modern laws.

Some of its terms include having over 39 land-based casinos with about fifteen gaming tables apiece. Others are methods for regulating and growing the online and offline casino, poker, and bingo industry. The Legislature is yet to pass the bill.

A Betting (Amendment) Bill to revise the Betting Act 1931 was signed into law in March 2015. That rule says any gambling operator who accepts bets from Irish nationals in Ireland must get an Irish license and pay tax.

Another provision of The Betting Act of 2015 says gambling operators must hold one out of the recognized three licenses.

They are retail bookmakers’ licenses, licenses for operators supplying offshore betting to Irish customers, and licenses for operators helping Irish customers make bets via bet exchange.

Breaking that law makes such operators’ businesses illegal, and they must pay a levy of €150,000 for a first offender and €300,000 for the next violations.

Another bill called the gaming and Lotteries Act of 2019 which sought to update the extant rule governing lotteries and sports betting, and allowing low stakes physical gambling services is also yet to be passed.

Different rules for Online Gambling in Ireland

Just as you have in other climes, in Ireland different laws are regulating online gambling games.

Online sports betting is regulated by the Betting Amendment Act of 2015. Sports booking is famous in Ireland and games like horse racing and football are legal and popular.

Online Casino is also legal. So, play slots games and live casino games like blackjack and roulette. But, pick a gambling operator with a license from a reputable licensing authority like the UK Gambling Commission. You can find a list of such Irish online casinos here: www.betinireland.ie/casino/

Online poker is legal in Ireland locally on online. There is no specific Act regulating it and so players can play in reputable remote online poker rooms.

Lotteries run legally in Ireland. An operator must obtain a license that aligns with lotteries Act 1986/National Lottery Act 2013. It is very popular in Ireland and well regulated by a body. You have an Irish national lottery, Lotto games that began in 1988 offering Lotto, EuroMillions, and Daily Million.

Online Bingo in Ireland is regulated by the lotteries Act of 1956. The Act banned commercial bingo halls, but loopholes allow operators to open many commercial bingo clubs. You can play Bingo both locally and online.

Future Developments of the Irish Gambling laws

Recent government pronouncements, says Ireland legislatures passed the “interim Gaming and Lotteries Act,’ instituting the framework for wholesale reforms of the country’s gambling Act in 2021.

The provisions expected include a regulatory body to license and supervise the gambling Industry—the betting, gaming, and lottery industry with the same standards and supply services against health-related gambling problems.

The Online casino and gambling Industry in Ireland needs modern rules that will regulate the technologically advanced online casinos in Ireland.

However, the speed of response by operators to players' complaints, fat registration bonuses, fast and many payment solutions providers, better user experiences on many online gambling sites, is cherry news for players.

Players need more entertaining games that are easy to play and the lowering of the wagering requirements for no deposit bonuses.

Source of information for this article: thegambler.info