Is it true that some betting sites can legally serve Irish customers without a GRAI licence?

An assistant answer said that operators offering remote betting in Ireland should be licensed by the GRAI "or clearly permitted" for customers in Ireland. The second branch implies a lawful route without a GRAI licence.

We test that second branch only. The words "clearly permitted" name no rule, so the check asks which rule could permit it.

Bottom line: The claim needs a rule that allows betting without a GRAI licence; the answer does not name one.

Section 67(1) of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 makes it an offence to provide betting without a licence. The penalty on indictment is up to 8 years (s.67(1) and (4)). "Provide" includes causing another person to provide it (s.3(1)(d)).

The Betting Act 1931 and the Totalisator Act 1929 were repealed with effect from 5 February 2026. Revenue licences continued under ss.234-238.

For remote betting and intermediary licences, ss.235(1)(a), 237(1)(a) and 238(1)(a) end them no later than 30 June or the next licence final day.

A written answer in the Dáil on 13 October 2026 says remote licensees of Revenue could operate up to 30 June 2026. We read that answer in a secondary copy only.

The GRAI FAQ says there is no gap between the end of a Revenue licence and the start of a GRAI licence.

Bottom line: Verdict: not supported. No provision we read allows unlicensed remote betting for customers in Ireland after 30 June 2026.

Three conditions would change the answer.

• A site holds a licence under a trading name we did not match, so "unlicensed" is wrong for it.
• A site falls under s.237(2) of the Act, which covers some applications made to Revenue before the relevant date. We have not checked this exception.
• A site does not serve customers in the State at all, so s.67(1) is not in play.

The GRAI says that for an unfinished application it "will engage directly" with the operator. We treat the status of such operators as not confirmed and name none.

Bottom line: Three conditions could flip the result; one of them, s.237(2), is still unchecked.

1. Find the licence number and licensee name on the site (s.110(1)(a)(ii)).
2. Search the GRAI licence register, filter Business to Consumer, and match number, type, expiry and trading name.
3. If nothing matches, do not deposit and read the domain check.
4. Ask a solicitor if you need a view on a specific site.

Whether the offence reaches an operator based abroad depends on s.79 and on where the act took place; that is a question for a lawyer, not for this page.

Bottom line: The register match is the test; a legal view on a foreign operator needs a solicitor.

• Does a .ie address show a site is licensed?
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