Ireland’s GRAI Prepares Licensing Launch With Survey of Interest

The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) has taken a significant step toward implementing the country’s new gambling licensing system, inviting operators and suppliers to register their interest ahead of the application window’s anticipated launch later in 2025.

Following its formal establishment through the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, the GRAI has begun to lay the groundwork for issuing licenses that will govern most forms of gambling across the country. Excluded from the regulator’s remit is the National Lottery, which remains under the control of Premier Lotteries Ireland, a subsidiary of France’s FDJ, until 2034.

The GRAI has launched an online survey to allow interested parties to indicate the type of license they intend to pursue. This preliminary step aims to gauge market demand and prepare for a scalable and efficient licensing rollout.

Types of Gambling Licences to Be Issued

Under the new framework, three main license categories will be made available:

• B2C Licences: For consumer-facing businesses, including remote or in-person betting operators, remote gaming and lottery providers, and remote betting intermediaries.
• B2B Licences: For suppliers offering gaming machines or backend services such as odds provision, risk management, software support, or hosting.
• Charitable Licences: Targeted at philanthropic organizations hosting fundraising activities like pool betting or lotteries.

While licenses for B2C and B2B activities are expected to become available this year, the GRAI has noted that charitable license applications will likely not open in 2025. Charitable organizations can, however, continue using the existing permit system in the meantime.

Focus on Licensing as Regulatory Priority

According to GRAI CEO Anne-Marie Caulfield, the licensing phase is the regulator’s top concern, given its foundational role in the broader regulatory framework. “We anticipate that we’ll be able to open for betting license [applications]

both online and on-site [land-based]

before the end of the year. And then we’re moving on to online gaming early in 2026 and then working our way through the other phases of licensing out to 2027,” Caulfield told iGB.

Caulfield also described a robust application and vetting process. The GRAI’s licensing regime is structured around three pillars: corporate verification, financial checks, and technical assessment. “There’ll be a fairly thorough vetting system for [operators]

and that will be our priority in the first instance,” she explained.

Survey Gathers Market Insights and Builds Contact Base

The survey not only helps the regulator estimate how many applications it can expect per license type, but it also enables the creation of a contact list. This database will allow the GRAI to provide updates directly to interested parties as the licensing system progresses.

Operators and service providers interested in applying can access the registration survey via the GRAI’s official website.

Through this initiative, the GRAI is attempting to map out the landscape of Ireland’s evolving gambling sector and ensure that its infrastructure is ready to manage a phased but comprehensive licensing rollout.

Source:

Register your interest – Licence, Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, March 2025.