.

Is Gambling Online Legal in Ireland?

This post may contain affiliate links. Affiliate links means that sometimes if you click through to a website and register or purchase something, we may get a commission from that sale at no extra cost to you. Click here to learn more.

Everyone who gambles will know that Irish culture is a common theme in online casino games, especially when it comes to slots at FreeSpinsNoDepositCasino. This begs the question, are the people of Ireland allowed to get in on the fun? Is gambling even legal online in Ireland? We’re going to be answering this question and providing further information about the legality of gambling in Ireland, so if you’re interested read on to find out more! We’re going to be taking a look at:

          History of gambling laws in Ireland

          Current laws in Ireland

          Popularity of gambling in Ireland

Gambling Laws in Ireland

You will be happy to know that gabling in Ireland is in fact legal! These days you can legally participate in tons of online casino activity including poker, slots, sports betting and much more! However, it wasn’t always like this. Gambling was actually fully unregulated in Ireland until 1956, at which point the Gaming and Lotteries Act was introduced. This meant that games now had to be fully licensed, balanced and could not be rigged – this was a great step as before this it was quite chaotic! There was actually a very mild form of regulation in gambling formed in the mid 80's, but this didn't cover many games and was hardly observed by regulatory forces. So, to answer your question – yes, gambling in Ireland is legal as long as it is online or at a regulated land-based venue. However, land-based gambling in Ireland is not as simple as having a casino like in the UK – let's take a deeper look into that.

Prohibited gambling in Ireland

Many people would assume that online gambling would be harder to regulate, but in Ireland this is actually not the case! Ireland's gambling laws are very flexible when it comes to online platforms – it first emerged in 2001, but Ireland embraced it a couple years later in 2003. This has opened up the Irish gambling scene to slots, table games, and just about any casino game you can shake a stick at – as long as it is online. Believe it or not, land-based casinos are not actually currently legal in Ireland! There are a few loopholes where people can host ‘gambling clubs' in the country with 14 of them existing currently. However, they require a membership in order to play legally, There was actually a bill created in 2013 that aimed to allow up to 40 legal land-based casinos in Ireland with up to 15 tables each. However, despite showing promise this law has still not been passed and there is not clear sign of it being passed anytime soon.

The Verdict

Overall, online casino gambling in Ireland is 100% legal, and you can enjoy basically any casino game that is legal in the UK or other countries. However, surprisingly the land-based casino landscape does not share this benefit. Unless you can cop yourself an exclusive casino club membership, you will have to stick to online gambling. However, in our opinion these are better anyway – the bonus offers and simply amazing!

Picture of Emma Drew

Emma Drew

Emma has spent over 15 years sharing her expertise in making and saving money, inspiring thousands to take control of their finances. After paying off £15,000 in credit card debt, she turned her side hustles into a full-time career in 2015. Her award-winning blog, recognized as the UK's best money-making blog for three years, has made her a trusted voice, with features on BBC TV, BBC radio, and more.

Well done