How to Launch an Online Casino in Ireland (2026): The New GRAI

Updated 2026-08-04 · Author: Michael Torres, iGaming Industry Analyst

Ireland is standing up its first dedicated gambling regulator from scratch, and online casino licences are not open yet.

If you want to run an online casino in Ireland in 2026, the honest answer is that you cannot get the specific licence for it yet, so the job right now is to prepare. Ireland spent years with no dedicated gambling regulator. That changed with the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, which created the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) and a phased rollout. Betting came first: GRAI began issuing remote betting licences on 1 July 2026. Remote gaming, the category that covers online casino, is scheduled for a later phase, with B2B supplier licences later still. This guide walks an operator through what is open, what is not, and how to be ready.

Key facts (verify before you commit)

The Gambling Regulation Act 2024 was signed into law on 23 October 2024 and created the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), Ireland’s first dedicated gambling regulator, operational since 5 March 2025.

Licensing is phased. GRAI began issuing B2C remote betting licences on 1 July 2026. Remote gaming (online casino) licences are expected in a later phase, with commentary pointing to late 2026 into 2027. [VERIFY the current gaming timeline with GRAI.]

B2B supplier licences are expected later still, reported around 2027 to 2028. [VERIFY.]

New consumer rules include a watershed ban on gambling ads on TV and radio between 5:30am and 9:00pm, a ban on targeted inducements such as VIP schemes and personalised free bets, a National Gambling Exclusion Register, and a Social Impact Fund levied on operators.

Fees are still being finalised. Early consultation figures put a remote-licence baseline near €20,000, with GRAI weighing a tiered model tied to gross gambling yield. [VERIFY fees with GRAI.]

Is online gambling legal in Ireland?

Online gambling is legal in Ireland, and for the first time it is moving under a single, purpose-built regulator instead of a patchwork of old laws. For most of the last decade, remote operators reached Irish players from offshore licences, paid a betting duty on wagers, and lived in a light-touch framework with no regulator focused on consumer protection. That era is closing.

The nuance is timing, not legality: sports betting can be licensed today under GRAI. Online casino, which the Act treats as remote gaming, has not opened for applications yet, so a pure casino brand cannot get an Irish licence for casino play right now. That gap between legal market and open licence category is the key thing to grasp before you plan around Ireland.

From unregulated to the Gambling Regulation Act 2024

Ireland historically had no dedicated online-gambling regulator, and that is exactly the vacuum the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 was written to fill. Remote bookmakers held excise-based licences from the Revenue Commissioners and paid a 2% betting duty on stakes. There was no equivalent regime purpose-built for online casino, and player-protection oversight was thin.

Because the domestic framework was so light, a large share of play ran through operators licensed in Curacao, Malta and elsewhere. Those routes are covered in our Curacao vs MGA comparison of cheap licences versus Tier-1 credibility, and the broader licensing guide puts a new EU-facing regime like Ireland’s in context. The Act replaces that grey setup with a comprehensive regime covering betting, gaming and lotteries, backed by a regulator with real enforcement powers.

The new regulator GRAI and its rollout timeline

GRAI is the single body that now licenses and supervises gambling in Ireland, and it is rolling out licences in phases to manage volume. The authority became operational on 5 March 2025 and took over as the licensing authority for betting in early February 2026.

The sequence is clear on betting and less firm on gaming. The application window for remote betting and remote betting intermediary licences opened on 9 February 2026, closed on 30 June 2026, and GRAI began issuing those B2C remote betting licences on 1 July 2026, with in-person betting operators transitioning across later in the year. Remote gaming, the online casino category, is signposted for a later phase, with commentary pointing toward late 2026 into 2027, and B2B supplier licences later again. Treat every gaming and B2B date as provisional and confirm it with the GRAI directly, because commencement orders are still being made.

What licence you will need and when

Match your product to the licence category, because in 2026 that decides whether you can go live now or have to wait. The Act sets out three broad licence types, and the phasing matters as much as the category.

B2C betting (open). If your core product is a sportsbook, remote betting licences are being issued now, the one live route into regulated Ireland in 2026.
B2C gaming, which includes online casino (not yet open). This is the category a casino operator needs, and it has not opened for applications.
B2B supplier (later). Platform and content suppliers face their own licensing phase, reported around 2027 to 2028. Your vendor will eventually need Irish authorisation to serve licensed operators.

The practical read: a sportsbook operator can enter now; a casino-led brand should prepare and, for regulated revenue meanwhile, look at an adjacent market. Our launch an online casino in the UK guide and the Malta casino license overview cover routes open today while Ireland’s gaming phase matures.

How to prepare and apply

You cannot submit a casino application until the gaming phase opens, but almost everything that makes one succeed can be built now.

Set the corporate and ownership structure. Establish your entity, document ownership, and prepare the integrity and financial disclosures a modern regulator will demand.
Build compliance to the Act, not to an offshore standard. Stand up KYC, AML and safer-gambling controls that map to Irish rules, including self-exclusion that can connect to the National Gambling Exclusion Register.
Fix your product to the rules. Strip targeted-inducement mechanics such as personalised free bets and VIP-only offers from your acquisition and retention design.
Line up a licensable platform. Choose a supplier that can meet Irish technical and reporting standards and intends to hold GRAI B2B authorisation.
Watch the GRAI portal and apply when your category opens. Betting operators apply now; casino operators register interest and apply the moment the gaming window is announced.

Our how to launch an online casino guide covers the operational track that runs in parallel.

Cost and levy

Budget for Ireland as a mid-to-higher-cost regulated market with recurring obligations, and treat every published fee as provisional. Early consultation figures put a remote-licence baseline near €20,000, a steep jump from the old excise fees, and GRAI has signalled it may move to a tiered model tied to gross gambling yield. None of that is final, so confirm the schedule before you model it.

Two recurring lines sit on top of the licence fee: the Social Impact Fund, an annual levy on commercial licence holders that funds prevention, treatment, education and research into gambling harm, and betting duty of 2% on stakes if you run a sportsbook. Model these as fixed costs, then add platform, content, staffing and marketing. Our white label casino cost breakdown shows how platform economics stack against licence and levy costs, and the break-even calculator lets you plug in the levy plus your acquisition spend. With targeted bonusing restricted, acquisition efficiency, not the licence fee, will decide your model.

Payments and localisation

Winning Irish players is a payments and trust exercise as much as a licensing one. Get these basics right or conversion suffers regardless of your licence.

Price and settle in euro (EUR). It is the domestic currency and players expect euro balances.
Support the methods Irish players actually use: major debit cards, Revolut, which is unusually dominant in Ireland, plus bank transfer and mobile wallets.
Keep the interface in English and localise tone, support hours and promotions to Irish norms.
Build deposit limits and safer-gambling tooling into the default experience, because they are becoming table stakes under the new regime.

Payment partners that already carry Irish banking and Revolut coverage shorten your path.

Ireland’s new rules hit marketing and retention harder than most operators expect, so design around them early. Three provisions reshape the playbook.

A broadcast watershed. Gambling advertising on TV and radio is banned between 5:30am and 9:00pm, sharply narrowing when you can reach a mass audience.
A ban on targeted inducements. General-public promotions may be permitted subject to GRAI regulation, but personalised offers to individuals or specific groups, including VIP treatment and tailored free bets, are restricted. A retention model built on VIP hospitality will not transfer unchanged.
A National Gambling Exclusion Register and a Social Impact Fund. Your platform must respect a central self-exclusion register, and your business must pay into a fund that finances harm prevention and research.

Together these push operators toward brand-led acquisition rather than aggressive bonusing.

Risks and red flags ⚠️

The fastest way to waste money on Ireland is to assume the casino licence is available today or that the old grey-market approach still works.

⚠️ Treating “market is legal” as “licence is open.” Remote gaming is not open for applications yet, so a launch date built around it is planning on sand until GRAI sets the window.
⚠️ Modelling on provisional fees. Fee levels and licence duration are still under consultation, so any figure you see, including the ones here, needs confirmation with GRAI first.
⚠️ Porting a VIP-led retention engine. Targeted inducements are restricted, so a model that depends on personalised bonusing will need rebuilding for Ireland.
⚠️ Underestimating the advertising watershed. Losing daytime and early-evening broadcast slots changes your media plan and your cost of acquisition.
⚠️ Grey-market drift. Serving Irish players from an offshore licence once the regime bites is a rising legal and payments risk, not a shortcut.

Best platforms for the Irish market

For a future Irish launch, pick a platform with genuine EU-regulated experience and a strong player-account-management stack, not a cheap offshore build. A few fits from our ratings:

EveryMatrix is an enterprise-grade, Tier-1 regulated platform with deep certification across casino and sportsbook in tightly regulated European markets.
Pragmatic Solutions brings a strong PAM and EU compliance experience, which matters when Irish technical and reporting standards land.
White Hat Gaming runs a PAM with heavy exposure to UK and Ireland-facing operations, useful familiarity for a market modelled partly on that playbook.
Digitain offers a full-stack casino and sportsbook option for operators wanting one integrated vendor, handy since betting opens first in Ireland.

Compare them on certification, product depth and commercial terms in our provider comparison, and see our methodology for how we rate providers.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get an online casino licence in Ireland right now?

Not yet. As of 2026, GRAI has opened remote betting licences, but remote gaming, the category covering online casino, has not opened for applications. Commentary points to late 2026 into 2027, but the date is provisional, so confirm the current status with GRAI.

What is the GRAI licence and who needs one?

The GRAI licence is the authorisation issued by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland under the 2024 Act. Any operator serving Irish players, and eventually any B2B supplier serving them, needs the relevant category. Betting is licensed now; gaming and B2B follow later.

How much does an Ireland casino license cost?

Fees are still being finalised. Early consultation figures put a remote-licence baseline near €20,000, and GRAI may adopt a tiered model tied to gross gambling yield. Operators also face a Social Impact Fund levy and, for sportsbooks, a 2% betting duty. Verify all figures with GRAI before modelling.

What does the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 change for operators?

It creates a single regulator with real powers and adds strict consumer rules: a 5:30am to 9:00pm broadcast advertising watershed, a ban on targeted inducements such as VIP schemes and personalised free bets, a National Gambling Exclusion Register, and a Social Impact Fund levied on operators.

Can I keep serving Irish players from a Curacao or Malta licence?

You may still reach them today, but that carries rising legal and payments risk as the regime beds in. The compliant path is an Irish licence in the correct category, so treat an offshore or EU licence as a bridge, not a destination.

Should I launch a sportsbook first while I wait for the gaming licence?

For many operators, yes. Betting is the one open regulated route into Ireland in 2026, so a sportsbook-led entry lets you build brand, banking and compliance now, then add casino when the gaming phase opens.

Cost and economics → White Label Casino Cost · Break-even calculator
Licensing context → Licensing guide · Curacao vs MGA · Malta casino license · Launch a casino in the UK
Launch playbook → How to launch an online casino
Platforms → Provider comparison · EveryMatrix · Pragmatic Solutions · White Hat Gaming · Digitain
How we rate → Methodology

This is editorial guidance, not legal advice; confirm current rules with the regulator and a licensed gaming lawyer. Start with the GRAI.

How to Launch an Online Casino in Ireland (2026): The New GRAI Licensing Regime