💡 Key Facts
- Zero GRAI casino or gaming licences have been issued as of November 2026
- GRAI currently issues remote betting licences only (commenced July 2026)
- Remote gaming (casino) licences are expected 2027–2028 under the Gambling Regulation Act timetable
- No exact date for casino licences has been confirmed by the GRAI
- Online casinos serving Irish players currently operate under international licences (MGA, Gibraltar, etc.)
- Playing at internationally licensed casinos is legal for Irish players
Current Status: Betting Licences Only
The GRAI began issuing licences on 1 July 2026. At that stage, only one category of remote licence was ready: the remote betting licence. This covers online sports betting, in-play betting, and similar wagering products. All major bookmakers operating in Ireland were required to hold one to continue trading legally.
As of November 2026, the GRAI has issued 41 remote betting licences. The register is public and searchable at grai.ie. Our recommended partner holds licence number GRAI-0191-RB-26-0001, valid 16 September 2026 – 15 September 2029 — a remote betting licence, not a casino licence.
⚠️ Important: No GRAI Casino Licence Exists
If any website or operator claims to hold a GRAI casino licence, that claim is false. The GRAI has not issued a single remote gaming licence. Any casino licence claim should be treated as a red flag. Verify all licences directly at grai.ie →
When Are Casino Licences Coming?
The Gambling Regulation Act 2024, signed into law in October 2024, sets out a phased approach to rolling out GRAI licences. The Act grants the GRAI power to issue three categories of remote licence:
- Remote betting licences — covering online sportsbooks and wagering
- Remote gaming licences — covering online casino games, slots, table games, and live casino
- Remote lottery licences — covering online lottery and lotto-type products
Phase 1, which began in July 2026, addressed remote betting. Phase 2 — remote gaming — is the next step. The GRAI has indicated this phase is expected to be ready in 2027 or 2028, but no specific date has been confirmed publicly as of this writing.
| Phase | Licence Type | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Remote Betting Licences | ✓ Active (since July 2026) |
| Phase 2 | Remote Gaming (Casino) Licences | ⌛ Expected 2027–2028 |
| Phase 3 | Remote Lottery Licences | ⌛ Timeline not confirmed |
The delay between phases is partly practical: each licence type requires the GRAI to finalise technical standards, game-fairness requirements, advertising rules, and player-protection specifications that are specific to that category. Casino and gaming products are more complex to regulate than sports betting, with thousands of individual game titles, random number generators, and bonus structures to standardise.
What Does This Mean for Irish Casino Players?
Until GRAI gaming licences exist, online casinos serving Irish players are operating under international licences. The most common are:
- Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) — widely regarded as the gold standard for European online casino regulation
- Gibraltar Regulatory Authority — covers several well-known operators with strong player-protection track records
- UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) — some operators hold dual MGA/UKGC licences; UKGC provides strong protections though it is a UK-specific regulator
- Revenue Commissioners (legacy permits) — some operators may still hold old domestic permits, which continue in effect until replaced by GRAI licences or until they expire
Playing at a casino licensed by any of these bodies is legal for Irish players. Irish law does not criminalise players for using offshore-licensed sites. The gap in domestic regulation means players currently rely on the protections those offshore licences provide rather than the full GRAI framework.
🎯 What to Check When Choosing a Casino Now
- Look for an MGA, UKGC, or Gibraltar licence — displayed in the footer
- Confirm deposit limits and self-exclusion tools are available
- Check the complaints procedure: MGA-licensed operators have a formal dispute resolution path
- Avoid sites with no visible licence number or only a Curaçao licence (weaker player protections)
What to Look for in the Meantime
While the GRAI casino licence framework is still being built, here is how to protect yourself as an Irish casino player:
1. Verify the licence, not the claim
Any reputable casino will display its licence number in the footer. Click the licence badge — it should link directly to the regulator's public register where you can verify the status. For MGA licences, that is authorisation.mga.org.mt. For GRAI betting licences, it is grai.ie. Never take a casino's word for it; check the register yourself.
2. Check for responsible gambling tools
Even without a GRAI gaming licence, well-run operators offer deposit limits, session time limits, cooling-off periods, and self-exclusion. If a casino makes these tools hard to find, that is a warning sign regardless of where it is licensed.
3. Prefer operators already GRAI-licensed for betting
Some operators hold a GRAI remote betting licence for their sportsbook while their casino games remain covered by an offshore licence. These operators are already subject to GRAI oversight in one part of their business, which typically means higher standards overall. See our reviewed casinos →
4. Use our GRAI-licensed betting partner
If you want the certainty of full GRAI oversight right now, our recommended partner holds a confirmed GRAI remote betting licence (GRAI-0191-RB-26-0001) and operates a sportsbook alongside its casino. It is currently the clearest way to stay within the Irish regulatory framework while gaming and casino licences are finalised.
Explore the Casino →
18+ | Play responsibly | T&Cs apply | GRAI betting licence GRAI-0191-RB-26-0001
Frequently Asked Questions
This page is written by Mark Craic, editor at CraicBet with 8 years of experience in gambling analytics. We update our GRAI coverage as the licence register changes. Read how we work on our About page.