- Bookie Ledger
- Methodology: how we choose operators, collect facts and calculate the score
- The five criteria groups, their weights and the formula
Method
The five criteria groups, their weights and the formula
The Ledger score is a whole number from 0 to 100. It adds points for 19 criteria in five groups: Licence and transparency (20), Safer-gambling controls (25), Payments and withdrawals (20), Markets and product (20), and Support and complaints (15). A criterion scores only when the operator publishes it. The score does not measure odds or service quality.
What does the Ledger score add up?
The score is a sum of points. Each of the 19 criteria is a yes-or-no question about what an operator publishes on its public pages. Some criteria carry more points than others.
The criteria are sorted into five groups. The group weights add up to 100, so the total needs no rescaling.
| Group | Weight | Criteria | Maximum points |
|---|---|---|---|
| L Licence and transparency | 20 | 3 | 20 |
| R Safer-gambling controls | 25 | 5 | 25 |
| P Payments and withdrawals | 20 | 4 | 20 |
| M Markets and product | 20 | 4 | 20 |
| S Support and complaints | 15 | 3 | 15 |
Bottom line: five groups, 19 criteria, 100 points in all, and every point is tied to something an operator publishes.
Which criteria sit in each group?
Each criterion has a code, a points value and a plain definition. Three of them rest on rules in the Gambling Regulation Act 2024.
| Code | What the operator publishes | Points | Rule behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | GRAI licence number on its own site | 8 | Act s.110(1)(a)(ii) |
| L2 | Licensee named in its terms | 6 | None |
| L3 | Terms carry a version or a date | 6 | None |
| R1 | Deposit limits | 6 | Act s.164 (limit set by the player) |
| R2 | Break (time-out) | 5 | None |
| R3 | Self-exclusion offered by the operator | 6 | National register not in force |
| R4 | Time reminder (reality check) | 4 | None |
| R5 | Link to help in Ireland | 4 | None |
| P1 | Deposit methods from a list of eight, 1 point each: debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Revolut, Skrill, Neteller, Open Banking or bank transfer | up to 8 | Act s.165 rules out credit cards |
| P2 | Withdrawal limits | 4 | None |
| P3 | Processing time stated | 4 | None |
| P4 | Fees stated | 4 | None |
| M1 | Menu categories from a list of ten, 1 point each: football, horse racing, greyhound racing, GAA, rugby union, golf, tennis, boxing and MMA, darts and snooker, esports | up to 10 | None |
| M2 | In-play betting described | 3 | None |
| M3 | Streaming described | 3 | None |
| M4 | Cash out (early settlement of a bet) described | 4 | None |
| S1 | Support channels from chat, e-mail and phone, 2 points each | up to 6 | None |
| S2 | Support hours stated | 4 | None |
| S3 | Complaints procedure stated | 5 | None |
Counting P1, M1 and S1 as separate yes-or-no items gives 37 facts per operator behind the 19 criteria.
Bottom line: L1, R1 and the P1 list follow the Act; the other criteria are about completeness of published information.
What is the formula?
Ledger score = L + R + P + M + S, where each letter is the points earned in that group. The result is a whole number with a maximum of 100.
Equal scores share one place and are listed alphabetically. Beside every score you see the date of the last recalculation and the weights version: "Ledger score 75 of 100 · recalculated
A label such as "Highest on
Bottom line: add the five group totals; ties are alphabetical; the date and version always sit next to the score.
How do you recalculate a score by hand?
Take the published values for one operator from the comparison matrix. Give each criterion its points, add each group, then add the five groups.
The table below uses an invented operator. It is an example, not a real operator and not a real result.
| Group | Points earned | How it adds up |
|---|---|---|
| L | 14 | L1 8 + L2 6 + L3 0 |
| R | 21 | R1 6 + R2 5 + R3 6 + R4 0 + R5 4 |
| P | 13 | P1 five methods = 5, P2 4, P3 0, P4 4 |
| M | 14 | M1 seven categories = 7, M2 3, M3 0, M4 4 |
| S | 13 | S1 chat and e-mail = 4, S2 4, S3 5 |
| Total | 75 | 14 + 21 + 13 + 14 + 13 |
Bottom line: the example operator scores 75 of 100; a real score is built the same way from the matrix.
What happens when a value is missing?
A criterion that the operator does not publish scores 0. The cell reads "Not published on the operator's public pages on
A page that cannot be opened from Ireland, or sits behind a login, is marked "Could not be verified on
An operator with more than three of the 19 criteria marked "could not be verified" stays in the matrix. It leaves the ranking with the label "insufficient public data".
Bottom line: a gap scores 0 and is labelled as a gap, not as a fault.
What does the score not measure?
The score measures how completely an operator publishes information. It does not measure odds, margins, payout speed, app quality or customer service.
Larger operators can publish more pages and so can score higher. We did not place bets, open accounts or deposit money to test any service.
For the effect of different weights on the order, see the score sensitivity table.
Bottom line: a high score means well-documented, not better value.
How are weights versioned?
The current set is WS-1 version 1.0. Weights are not changed after the fact. A new set would be published as version 1.1 and logged on the changelog.
Scores are recalculated on the first Monday of each month, and whenever an input fact changes. The data behind each input is described on the data collection page.
Bottom line: version 1.0 is fixed; any change becomes a new, logged version.
Sources
- Gambling Regulation Act 2024, ss.110, 164 and 165: Irish Statute Book, checked 7 November 2026.
- GRAI licence register: grai.ie.
- GRAI Protection Tools, on the tools named in group R: grai.ie.
Bottom line: the Act and the GRAI pages are the reference points; the rest is operator-published information.
What changed
7 November 2026: weights version 1.0 recorded. No operator score has been calculated on this build yet, because the 37 facts per operator are not collected. See the methodology overview and how to check a licence.
Bottom line: first version, no earlier history.
Where to go next
- Methodology: how we choose operators, collect facts and calculate the score
- Data collection: sources, snapshots, check dates and how errors are fixed
- The comparison matrix: every operator, every criterion, with source and date
- Score sensitivity: does the order of operators survive different weights?
- Checking a betting site's licence on the GRAI register, step by step
- GRAI-licensed betting sites in Ireland, ranked by our published score