Irish regulator calls on lottery firms and others to register licence interest
Lottery companies, alongside other Irish betting and gaming stakeholders, have been encouraged to register interest in the country’s new licensing framework.
The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) issued a request late last week, subsequently sharing this across social media networks, with B2C, B2B and charity firms encouraged to register interests.
Established by the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, the GRAI is set to take full regulatory charge of the Irish gaming market in 2026. It is urging firms to register interest in a licence to ensure a more seamless transition when it takes over from the Revenue Commission, though it did commence some regulatory duties earlier this year.
“To assist in our preparations for the roll out of the new Licensing regime and ensuring a scalable, efficient and effective roll out we are requesting all interested parties to register their interest for a licence in the Irish market,” a GRAI LinkedIn statement read.
Like other European nations, the largest lottery in Ireland is the country’s National Lottery – operated by Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI), which is itself now a subsidiary of FDJ Group, formerly known as Francaise Des Jeux (FDJ).
The country is also home to numerous other local lotteries though, particularly charity lotteries. Not all of these firms will have to apply for a licence though, as the Gambling Regulation Act excused some small lotteries from having to secure a gaming licence.
Introduced to the Oireachtas, the Irish legislature, in 2022, the Gambling Regulation Bill was drafted by the government with the intention of modernising Ireland’s newly century old gaming laws.
The last piece of legislation governing the sector was adopted in 1931. Over the following decades the sector has changed considerably with the addition of high-street betting shops, national lottery ticket sales in shops, and of course all of the above available via the internet and on mobile phones in the modern day.
Recognising the breadth of Ireland’s gambling industry, the GRAI will issue three types of licences – B2C ones for operators and lotteries, B2B ones for tech firms and other suppliers, and charitable and philanthropic licences, which will likely be for gambling harm prevention and treatment organisations.
https://lotterydaily.com/2025/04/01/regulation/irish-lotteries-licences/