What the Watershed Is
The Gambling Regulation Act 2024 provides for a broadcast watershed: no gambling advertising on television or radio between 5:30am and 9:00pm. The logic is blunt and effective — keep gambling ads out of the hours when children are watching and listening. It mirrors long-standing alcohol-style restrictions rather than inventing something new.
When It Bites
Like most of the Act, the watershed commences in phases and applies to operators as they come inside the licensing system. With remote betting licensed since July 2026 and casino licensing still ahead, expect the advertising landscape to tighten progressively rather than overnight. If you notice bookmaker ads vanishing from daytime sport on Irish TV — this is why.
What It Covers (and What It Does Not)
The watershed is a broadcast rule: TV and radio. Online advertising runs under different provisions — notably the rule that gambling ads on social media may only reach users who opted in to receive them, and a ban on advertising designed to appeal to children. The full picture is in our advertising rules guide.
Why It Matters Beyond Ads
Sport sponsorship, stadium hoardings and jersey deals sit in the same policy debate — see our sponsorship page. For players, the watershed is also a trust signal: an operator complying with Irish advertising rules is an operator inside the system, with €20m fines to lose.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Act provides for a watershed prohibiting gambling advertising on TV and radio between 5:30am and 9:00pm.
No — it is a broadcast rule. Online, the Act separately restricts social media gambling ads to opted-in users and bans ads appealing to children. See the full rules.
It applies through the phased commencement of the Act and attaches to licensed operators as each licensing phase opens.