There’s no doubt that gambling is popular in Ireland – citizens bet on sports, play at casino clubs, and try their hand at a whole range of online games. More than 6,000 people work in betting shops, and another 1,000 work for online casino operators. Here we’ll go through everything you need to know about the state of gambling in 2020.
Where It All Began
Regulated gambling started to take shape in the country when the Betting Act of 1854 was passed. Despite this, the country saw very few regulations until casino gambling was addressed in the Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1956, which prohibited commercial casinos from operating in Ireland.
Business owners soon found a loophole in the rule and ‘members-only gambling clubs’ started popping up on the map. These clubs were set up like mini-casinos, providing table games, slots, and video poker.
Online Gambling In Ireland
Online casino gambling is legal in Ireland, with laws allowing citizens to engage in licensed and regulated offshore gambling as well as licensed domestic online gambling. The country started to embrace digital gambling back in 2003, and now you can find some of the very best gaming and Poker Online. Poker is legally available online and one of the most popular games in the world.
Sports Betting
Sports betting has one of the longest standing histories in Ireland. The Betting Act brought into law in 1931 regulated all sports betting activities until 2015, when the Betting (Amendment) Act was signed in. This was introduced to allow offshore sportsbooks and betting exchanges to integrate into Irish licensing policies and taxation requirements. The bill also made it illegal, however, for online betting operators to offer their services to Irish citizens without acquiring a license to do so.
Lottery
The Nation’s lottery industry was created in 1986 through the National Lottery Act, with the purpose of raising charitable funds. Scratch card games began in 1987, while the Lotto was launched a year later. Citizens can now participate in three types of drawing games: Lotto, EuroMillions, and the Daily Million.
