On the evening of 16 October, Ireland’s Dáil Éireann (lower parliament house) passed a monumental piece of gambling legislation, marking the country’s first regulatory update since 1956.

First presented to parliament in December 2022, the Gambling Regulation Bill seeks to modernize gambling in the country. It creates a regulator and national self-exclusion scheme, as well as tighter restrictions on advertising, licensing and where venues with gaming machines can be based (not within range of a school).

All operators of online or in-person gambling activities or machines will need to reapply for a license with the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) to continue to provide those services.