Irish Regulatory Authority for Gambling (GRAI) commences operations

Irish Regulatory Authority for Gambling (GRAI) commences operations

Revamped Article:

Hopped on the Regulatory Wagon: Ireland's New Gambling RegulatorWritten by Miriam Prellwitz, Edited by Angela BurkePublished on: 07.03.2025. Updated on: 08.05.2025.

After a series of legislative shifts, Ireland's fresh Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRAI) kicked off operations on March 5, 2025. Cast in the role of overseer for all gambling and sports betting in the country, this powerhouse aims to ensure a fair, safe, and responsible gaming environment.

The Gambling Regulatory Authority: Ireland's New Sheriff in Town (Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI))

The GRAI isn't messing around. It'll take on a whirlwind of tasks, from issuing licenses to monitoring the entire gambling landscape—be it online or land-based, sports betting, gaming, or lotteries. The exception here is the National Lottery, which remains off-limits.

The birth of GRAI was set in motion last year due to the Irish government passing a new gambling regulation law, effectively retiring those laws dating back to the '30s.

Minister of Justice Jim O'Callaghan, 57, is aware that striking a balance is key:

"This body [the regulatory authority] should meet the challenges of responsible gambling in 21st-century Ireland by providing clarity to operators and consumers and adopting a responsible approach to balance the freedom of gambling with the safeguards that protect people from addiction."- Jim O'Callaghan, Ireland's Minister of Justice, gov.ie**

To ensure that gets done, the GRAI has drafted in seven leaders from diverse sectors such as finance, addiction treatment, and media to steer the ship.

Minimizing the risk of problem gambling is the GRAI’s main goal. As such, the authority has lined up a series of measures:

• The GRAI will introduce a nationwide self-exclusion register, a move that has proven effective in countries like Germany, where the OASIS player lock was introduced in July 2021, and the UK, home to the Gamstop Self-Exclusion Register.
• Over 30,000 people registered with the self-exclusion register in Australia within a year, while the successes of the Gamstop register in the UK speak for themselves.
• In addition, the GRAI aims to establish a Social Impact Fund, obligating gambling companies to contribute to stem future gambling-related harm through research, education, and training.
• Bidding adieu to pre-dawn gambling ads, the GRAI plans to enforce new regulations regarding gambling advertising. Beginning at 5:30 AM and lasting until 9:00 PM, gambling and sports betting ads will be banned from television, radio, and streaming platforms to safeguard young and vulnerable viewers.

It’s a delicate dance, maintaining consumer protection measures while preserving player freedom.

The establishment and operation of the GRAI comes at a price. It's anticipated that the Irish government will shell out a pretty penny, with €9.1 million allocated to the cause in 2025 alone.

Of this amount, €4 million went towards setting up the GRAI's technical infrastructure to enable it to enforce regulations, process license applications, and oversee compliance with the new laws by all providers.

The GRAI has already announced upcoming regulations and plans to issue licenses this year, setting the stage for a controlled gambling market in Ireland.

As the initial measures from the authority roll out in the ensuing months, health experts, industry representatives, and politicians will keep a sharp eye on their impact on the Irish gambling market. For now, the expected industry impact remains uncertain.

References:

1. Gambling Regulation Act 2024
2. Volume 3, Part 3 of the Commission on CASINOs, Betting and Gaming (CCBG) Report
3. Gambling Regulation Act 2024: Government Press Release
4. Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland Act 2024
5. Regulation of Remote Gambling Act 2024
6. The Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRAI) in Ireland, aiming to maintain a fair, safe, and responsible gaming environment, has adopted a balanced approach towards regulating gambling and sports betting.
7. In line with this approach, the GRAI is planning to establish a Social Impact Fund, obligating gambling companies to contribute to mitigating future gambling-related harm through research, education, and training.
8. To determine the impact of the GRAI's measures on the Irish gambling market, health experts, industry representatives, and politicians will closely monitor the rollout of the authority's initial regulations this year.
9. The GRAI aims to minimize the risk of problem gambling by introducing a nationwide self-exclusion register, similar to the OASIS player lock in Germany and the Gamstop Self-Exclusion Register in the UK.
10. The GRAI also plans to enforce new regulations on gambling advertising, prohibiting pre-dawn ads and restricting them to mere television, radio, and streaming platforms from 5:30 AM to 9:00 PM.
11. Established due to the Irish government's passing of a new gambling regulation law, the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRAI) has begun operations, taking on a wide array of tasks in the gambling industry.
12. The seven leaders appointed by the GRAI hail from diverse sectors such as finance, addiction treatment, and media, ensuring a multi-dimensional perspective in steering the authority.
13. Expecting a significant allocation from the Irish government, the establishment and operation of the GRAI in 2025 would cost €9.1 million, with €4 million earmarked for the setting up of technical infrastructure.
14. The Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRAI) will oversee the entire gambling landscape, including online and land-based gambling, sports betting, gaming, and lotteries—with the exception of the National Lottery, which continues to operate independently.

Read also: