Irish History of Online Gambling
When we talk about the Irish history of online gambling, we have to go back many years in the past.
For centuries gambling has been an important activity for many Irish people. In land-based casinos, but also in online casinos, which have been growing in popularity over the past years. In particular, sports betting is importent in Ireland. The absolute highlight? Irish horse races!
Due to the great popularity of (online) casinos, you will probably quickly – if you walk around in Ireland – find someone who is willing to take a shot at the casinos. But how did gambling became so popular in Ireland? And what about the regulations?
In this blog, I’ll set out all the facts for you!
Irish History of Online Gambling
In the field of gambling, various legislations have been developed. After Ireland had regained control of its own country in 1922 – after a long battle of three years – they had the ability to decide their own rules again. In 1933 there was a law called ‘The Betting Act’. This law made it possible for anyone to take bets, provided they had a permit from the government.
In 1956, the Gaming and Lotteries Act was confirmed. This law made it possible to make gambling on sports and lotteries legal. However, at this time casinos were still considered illegal.
Nevertheless, this changed very quickly. Naturally, there was increasing criticism of the 1956 legislation. Arguments that people had made were, firstly, that it would not be appropriate for this era and, secondly, that the legislation would not be able to regulate the new development of online gambling.
Gambling Control Bill 2013
On the other hand, in 2013 there was a turnaround when it came to the Irish history of online gambling. In order to better regulation rather than prohibition, the Gambling Control Bill was introduced. According to this law all forms of gambling – land-based and online casinos – became legal. In addition, for online gambling, this law stipulated that any online operator, regardless of where they are based, must have a license to do business in Ireland.
Betting Amendment Act 2015
In 2015 there were even more developments. At that time, a law – called the Betting Amendment Act – was made to make provision for the licensing of bookmaking activities and, in particular, the carrying out of bookmaker-related activities by electronic means.
As a result, Ireland today has a well-functioning licensing regime where operators can operate in a fair and regulated market. Every year the popularity of online casinos increases, and this probably will continue to increase in the upcoming years.
Would you like to know more about the Irish history of online gambling, or any other impressions or suggestions? Send me a message! I will answer your question as best as I can.