Gambling has long been known to be a favorite pastime amongst Irish citizens. It is so deeply ingrained into the Irish culture, that it comes as no surprise that they have laws in place that other countries should follow, learn more about Ireland’s online casino law here.
Currently, all types of gambling, as well as betting operations, are legal in Ireland. Although it is primarily known for horses and greyhound racing activities, many other forms of gambling are also popular.
Overview of Irish Gambling Online Casino Laws
Offline gambling ambling in Ireland was not legally controlled for several years until 1956 when the Gaming and Lotteries Act was established. The main purpose of this Act was to make casino gambling illegal by the country’s Government.
There were some exceptions to this law, with many private member gaming clubs popping up to fill up the gap after casinos were declared illegal.
This Act is still, to some extent relevant to this day.
Casino Gambling in Ireland
The Betting Amendment Act of 2015, which is the most current gambling regulation in Ireland states that commercial casinos are prohibited. There are still some destinations where it is legal to play casino games, including Dublin and other territories.
Irish punters can also gamble at domestic and online casinos at operators who offer services to Irish players.
Luckily, lawmakers have also made sure that specific gambling online casino laws state that Irish citizens can engage in online gambling through licensed offshore sites as well as domestic certified sites.
As long as online gambling entertainment is run in a responsible manner, it is legally viable. These include online casinos, poker rooms online, sports betting and online bingo. There is by far a much bigger selection of gambling sites online than offline.
The country’s Government knows all too well that there is big revenue to be attached from the online gambling industry. This has benefitted greatly the economic and has been put to work in Ireland.
The key to keeping things legal for Irish citizens or any visitors from outside is by playing at legally licensed and regulated casinos. This is especially important since there are numerous offshore casinos available online which are not licensed and regulated by a reputable gambling body. This can create a huge problem for punters.
Since punters are providing their personal and financial information to random sites, they could be subject to money-laundering or fraudulent transactions.
The 2013 Gaming Control Bill
In 2013, a new bill was proposed to the Irish Government. This bill was set to clear gambling regulations and to make it perfectly safe and legal to gamble in Ireland.
Better known as the 2013 Gambling Control Bill, it came with six different types of licenses, including gaming licenses for horse racing, remote gaming and betting licenses, betting licences for brick and mortar casinos, personal licenses for individuals working at an establishment and hybrid licenses for brick and mortar casinos also running online operations.
Online gambling portals in Ireland are run by reputable entities and considered to be some of the safest and trustworthy online sites in the country.
Many countries should be looking into regulations and providing a safe haven for gamblers looking for a secure gambling platform.