Verify an Irish Gambling Site's Licence in Five Steps

To check that a gambling site is compliant for Ireland, start by locating the licence-holder name in the site footer, and then verifying that exact name and registration number in Ireland's public gambling register. Look for the licence type and the specific activity permitted for that operator. If the details match the public register and terms, the operator is likely compliant. The Gambling Regulation Act 2024 establishes the public register, which includes a field for each licence-holder's name, a field for their licence type and permissible activities, and a field for their registration number.

Find the licence-holder name

Irish players often spot a licence logo or badge image in a casino site footer as a first sign of regulatory compliance or legitimation claim. However, an image is only a lead, not a verification in itself.

Instead, look for the footer statement naming the operating entity and providing a registration number. This named entity is the legal licensee, and their name will match the Gambling Regulatory Authority's list of entities authorized to operate in the Irish market.

The public register, which comprises name, number, and licence type, can be found at the following locations:

• The Revenue Commissioners' Register of Gaming Licences, available to download from the Revenue site: https://www.revenue.ie/en/corporate/documents/statistics/excise/register-of-gaming-licences.pdf
• The full public register at https://www.grai.ie/Licenses/ManageLicenses/, which is maintained in the National Gambling Register under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024.

In this first stage, isolate the exact named entity and registration number that the casino site provides, as these are what you will use to check the public register in Step 2.

Match the site to the register

Compare the site footer's named licence-holder and registration number to the public register. Verify that the names and numbers are a exact match.

If a casino has an up-to-date registration number, it should match exactly. If you do not find an exact match, or if the numbers do not correspond, the licence is not eligible for the Irish market, or the register may not be updated (Step 4 applies).

If the number matches, verify that the named entity matches and that the licence type specified covers the exact activity the casino site offers. Finally, check the site's terms under sections typically named "Poker Network", "Gaming Network", or "Terms of Service" to confirm that the offer is not restricted to certain regions or countries.

Check the licence category

The Irish legal regime has various categories of gambling licence. Licences for remote gambling are the ones to look for: the Gambling Regulatory Authority is currently open for applications under the following licence categories:

• In-person betting
• Remote betting
• Remote betting intermediary.

Remote gambling encompasses activity on online platforms and mobile apps. A remote gambling licence, or a licence that includes remote gambling as one of the permitted activities, should provide the typical digital offer. However, read the licence type and permitted activities carefully: for example, a licence could cover only in-person betting, in which case it would not be suitable for remote gambling activities.

Check the current regime

As gambling licence law is changing in Ireland, there are two parts to checking operator licences: verifying the current licence and determining the source.

There is a period of transition between the older Revenue Commissioners licence regime and the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland's (GRAI) new framework. The Revenue registers, maintained under the Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Act 2019 and the Betting Acts 1931-2015, remain in operation, and new operators are still subject to Revenue Commissioners' tax conditions and logs.

However, in this period, the GRAI also accepts operator licence applications. The GRAI list of licensees is listed by named entity, principal location, and licence type and will be updated as new licence applications are considered.

To determine whether the operator's licence registration you have used as part of your check is current and correctly sourced, check the footer link to see whether the registration name is listed on the Revenue or the GRAI or both.

If the organisation that has provided the registration number you are checking is a limited liability company, you can further verify that the organisation is a licensed operator in Ireland by searching the register of directors under the Companies Registration Office for the Irish company.

Read the terms

Before depositing, review the casino's full terms and conditions. One key section to look for is the part labeled "General Terms", "Gaming Rules", or "Eligible jurisdiction", which will detail the geographical limits on or exceptions to the service. For instance, terms may specify that they cannot deliver services to residents of this or that state, a list of excluded regions, or rules prescribing minimum age. The presence of Ireland in such a restrictive clause could be a warning of non-compliance.

Be alert, however, that many of the sites accepting Irish customers now have some exceptions in place. Terms may exclude only players who are, say, National Lottery investors or current members of Ireland's Dáil or Seanad. Site terms may also route gamblers wishing to dispute the service to alternate dispute resolution (ADR), pointing out that a licence is only a starting point.

Common traps

There are several deceptive features that may trip up players. One is a branded badge that does not provide the operator's legal name or registration number. Another is a named entity but an outdated registration number.

The registration number is issued for the specific time frame of the licence in question. This means that if your Irish registration is several years old, though the operator is listed as having a valid gaming licence, you should take a closer look. some licensees' casino machines can still bear an old three-digit Irish Registration Number, despite being served a newer licence with a revamped five-digit registration. Look up the licence-holder name on the current register — and verify the number that accompanied the brand name — and contact the casino if the numbers are not a match.

If your verification is not clear from the lettered steps, you can email the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland: [email protected]. If the operator has followed through on all of the licensing requirements, it will appear on the GRAI register, and will be able to support their identification documents and registration number with official paperwork.