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Ireland Gaming License

How to get a Ireland gambling license: current costs, timelines, requirements, taxes, and operating limits.

Content updated · Research checked

Ireland is a domestic regulated market, not an offshore license base. The GRAI portal accepts applications for in-person betting, remote betting, and remote betting intermediary licenses. It does not currently provide an open application route for remote gaming, lottery, B2B supply, or charitable gambling. Those future categories are not available merely because they appear in the Act or in a fee regulation.

Remote betting application fees run from EUR 20,000 to EUR 400,000 under a final statutory scale, and remote betting intermediary fees run from EUR 20,000 to EUR 230,000. A B2C license lasts three years. No standard processing time applies, and the applicant must first complete the 28-day public-notice period. Existing gaming and lottery arrangements continue until GRAI opens and commences the matching new phase.

License facts: Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI; Údarás Rialála Cearrbhachais na hÉireann)
Cost boundary
Under S.I. No. 37/2026, the remote betting application fee runs from EUR 20,000 to EUR 400,000 based on the statutory turnover bracket. The remote betting intermediary application fee runs from EUR 20,000 to EUR 230,000. In-person betting uses separate scales starting at EUR 750 for relevant event premises and EUR 1,500 for ordinary betting premises, with an additional EUR 1,200 for each ordinary premises. Application fees are non-refundable. These are not all-in launch budgets. The future regulator-funding charge and renewal fee remain unresolved and should not be budgeted as fixed amounts.
Process timing
An applicant must publish a Notice of Intention at least 28 days before submitting the application. No standard end-to-end processing time applies. Timing varies with the complexity of the business model, completeness of the file, requests for more information, and information exchanges with other regulators or authorities. A government transition date or submitted application is not evidence that a license has been issued.
Tax / revenue model
Remote betting duty is 2 percent of the amount of each remote bet entered into with a person in Ireland. Betting intermediary duty is 25 percent of commission charged to persons in Ireland. Bets subject to betting duty are exempt from VAT. Revenue treats eGaming services supplied to Irish consumers as taxable at the 23 percent standard VAT rate; for RNG games, its guidance identifies the taxable amount by reference to the operator's net revenue attributable to Irish stakes. Corporation tax depends on the entity and tax facts and should not be reduced to one universal gambling-operator rate.
Applicant / local requirements
The application requires a registered business address, incorporation and constitutional documents, a share register, financial records, a business plan, relevant policies, ownership and officer disclosures, and tax-clearance information for the applicant and account officers. There is no universal Irish-incorporation requirement, but that does not mean every foreign entity automatically qualifies. Confirm the applicant entity, establishment, Irish tax registrations, account officers, beneficial owners, and any premises requirements directly for the proposed license.
Term / continuation
S.I. No. 38/2026 prescribes a three-year term for a Business to Consumer gambling license. This is final, not a consultation proposal. Renewal fees remain subject to a later regulation, so the renewal amount is unresolved.

The GRAI was established on March 5, 2025. Its portal opened on February 9, 2026 for in-person betting, remote betting, and remote betting intermediary applications. Transition points allow licensing of new entrants as soon as feasible, existing remote operators from July 1, 2026, and in-person operators from December 1, 2026. Those dates do not prove that a named operator holds an issued license. Gaming, lottery, B2B, and charitable licensing remain phased, with no open application route for those categories.

Licensing decision matrix

Only the betting routes currently open in the GRAI portal can be filed now. The Act creates gaming, lottery, B2B, and charitable categories, but their intake remains in later phases.

Definedfixed by the route or ruleScope-specificchanges with the entity, product, or approvalUnresolvedno dependable rule or figure yet
Applicant route
Defined
Current intake covers in-person betting, remote betting, and remote betting intermediaries. Remote gaming, lottery, B2B, and charitable applications are not open.
Applicant entity
Scope-specific
No universal Irish-incorporation rule applies. Eligibility depends on the applicant entity, establishment, corporate records, tax clearance, ownership, and selected license.
Local presence
Scope-specific
The registered business address, Irish tax registrations, account officers, and any premises requirement follow the applicant and license route.
Key people
Defined
The file includes account officers, beneficial owners, directors and officers, tax-clearance material, and the people responsible for the regulated business.
Technical approval
Scope-specific
Technical, control, and product evidence follows the betting model and later implementation requirements. No current remote-gaming filing route exists.
Tax or revenue base
Defined
Remote betting duty is 2% of each Irish bet. Betting-intermediary duty is 25% of Irish commission. eGaming VAT and corporate tax use separate bases.
Ongoing duties
Scope-specific
Reporting, tax clearance, financial, officer, control, and license-condition obligations follow the granted route; later funding and renewal charges remain unresolved.
Approval timing
Unresolved
A Notice of Intention must run for at least 28 days before filing. The framework sets no standard end-to-end GRAI decision time.
Fees and cost
Defined
Remote betting applications cost EUR 20,000 to EUR 400,000 by turnover bracket. Remote betting intermediary applications cost EUR 20,000 to EUR 230,000.

Continue the decision

Move from the jurisdiction record to the next operator task. These routes do not change or extend the permission described above.

Use the sports-betting licensing framework
Separate betting products, channels, operating permissions, supplier roles, integrity duties, and technical approvals.
Open resource
Check target-market access
Check whether the target market requires a local permission and what an offshore authorization does not cover.
Open resource
Continue to the sportsbook launch plan
Connect betting permissions to the engine, feed, trading, wallet, integrity, testing, and operating controls.
Open resource
Looking for a licensing service provider?
This page covers the jurisdiction and regulator. A separate directory compares licensing advisors, law firms, compliance consultancies, and corporate-service groups. Inclusion is not a legal endorsement, and the directory does not replace local counsel.
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FAQ

Which Irish gambling license applications are open now?+
The GRAI Operator Portal currently accepts in-person betting, remote betting, and remote betting intermediary applications. Remote gaming, lottery, B2B, and charitable licensing are later phases. Do not treat a category listed in the Act or fee regulations as an open application route unless the GRAI portal and current guidance say that it is open.
What does an Irish remote betting license application cost?+
The statutory remote betting application fee ranges from EUR 20,000 to EUR 400,000 based on the applicable turnover bracket. A remote betting intermediary application ranges from EUR 20,000 to EUR 230,000. These are non-refundable application fees, not all-in project budgets. Legal, corporate, tax, policy, systems, premises, and implementation costs depend on the applicant.
How long does a GRAI application take?+
The only fixed pre-submission period is the Notice of Intention, which must be published at least 28 days before filing. No standard end-to-end service level applies. Processing depends on the business model, file quality, further-information requests, and external checks.
Does an applicant need an Irish company?+
No universal Irish-incorporation rule applies. The application does require a registered business address, corporate documents, shareholder information, financial records, tax clearance, and full officer and beneficial-owner disclosures. A foreign entity should not infer eligibility from silence. Confirm the exact entity and tax-registration position with GRAI and Revenue before filing.
Can an MGA license replace an Irish license?+
No. An MGA authorization does not override Irish gambling law. For the betting categories currently open, the operator needs the matching GRAI permission. Existing arrangements continue for gaming and lottery activities until the new phases are in place. An MGA license alone does not authorize Irish play, and a GRAI remote-gaming application cannot yet be filed.