How to Check a Casino Licence in Ireland

Where Irish licensing stands for online casinos

When we last checked, on 27 September 2026, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) was not yet licensing online casinos. Its first licences, for remote betting and betting intermediaries, took effect on 1 July 2026, and it says applications for gaming licences, alongside lottery and business-to-business licences, will open during 2027 and 2028. Any GRAI licence an operator held on that date was therefore a betting licence.

• Credit cards: section 165 of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 bars GRAI licensees from accepting them.
• Paying winnings: section 155 bars GRAI licensees from unreasonably withholding them.
• Self-exclusion: the National Gambling Exclusion Register, in sections 44 to 49 of the Act, has not been commenced, and in June 2026 GRAI told operators it had no go-live date.

Sections 155 and 165 have applied since 5 February 2026. To check a GRAI licence, use its register of licence holders ↗, which you can filter or download; it showed a last update of 21 September 2026.

Sources, read on 27 September 2026: GRAI: remote betting licences commence ↗ · Gambling Regulation Act 2024, section 155 ↗ · section 165 ↗ · commencement table ↗ · GRAI compliance webinar, 17 June 2026 (PDF) ↗

Check the category as well as the name

Ireland’s licensing transition is phased. The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) announced on 9 February 2026 that applications were open for remote betting, remote betting intermediary and in-person betting licences. That announcement does not establish that a particular online casino has a gaming licence.

A July 2026 update from the Irish Revenue Commissioners says Revenue will continue licensing gaming until the transition to GRAI. These sources describe the regulatory process; neither verifies the brands listed by WagerSift. A premises-based gaming licence must not be assumed to cover a remote casino domain.

Sources: GRAI application opening, 9 February 2026 and Revenue eBrief 113/26. Recheck current guidance when making a decision: this page records a dated research position, not a certification service.

A five-step verification record

1. Identify the operator. Record the exact domain and the legal entity named in its current terms. The marketing brand and company name may not be the same; do not guess the relationship. Some terms name no entity at all: TuffPuff’s and Winshark’s describe an unnamed company in Cyprus, and Rivo’s say only “The Company is licensed.”
2. Record the actual claim. Note the named authority, number, activity and jurisdiction the operator claims. Save the date and source. A logo by itself gives you too little to check.
3. Go to the primary source independently. Locate the relevant authority’s official guidance or register. Match the entity, status and domain where the record provides them. Do not rely solely on a badge linking back to the operator.
4. Check scope and territory. Confirm what activity the record covers and how it relates to service in Ireland. A foreign licence, a betting application or an unrelated premises record is not automatically Irish online-casino authorisation.
5. Keep discrepancies unresolved. Ask the authority or operator for clarification where the identity, domain or category does not match. Do not convert an unanswered enquiry into an approval.

What an IE entry does not prove

Our central country lists reflect supplied market declarations. They do not replace regulatory records, confirm a pending application’s outcome or prove a right to advertise. None of the records we found for these brands is an Irish licence:

Likewise, an accessible website or a euro display does not settle the applicable licence position. Avoid describing a brand as licensed, legal or safe solely because it appears in a directory. Keep availability and authorisation as separate questions.

What if the company, domain or licence category does not match?

The register uses a company name, not the casino brand

Look for a documented connection in the website terms and the authority's record. A similar name is not enough. Keep the connection unresolved if neither source establishes it.

The domain redirects to another address

Record both the starting address and the final domain. Check the terms at the destination and whether the relevant authority's record covers it. A redirect or shared logo alone does not establish licence coverage.

A record exists for betting or a physical premises

Compare the licensed activity with the service you are researching. Do not use a sports-betting or premises record as automatic evidence for remote casino games.

You cannot find a matching record

Record the exact names and register searched, with the date, and seek clarification through the authority's official contact route. An incomplete search should not become either a licence approval or a definitive allegation of unlicensed activity.

Revenue's 7 July 2026 update distinguishes the transfer of betting licensing from the gaming transition. Use that distinction when deciding which record to search, then recheck the current position. This workflow helps document a claim; it does not provide a legal determination.

Where to go next

Use GRAI’s licensing-phasing guidance for the current transition context. If a source does not answer the exact activity and territory you are researching, obtain clarification before relying on it.

For a named profile, return to the Irish review directory; for the broader decision process, use the casino comparison checklist. Those pages organise research and disclose commercial links. They do not replace this verification step.