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Irish Gambling – Laws And Games For Visiting Tourists

If you're visiting Ireland as a tourist, there's certainly plenty to see and do on the Emerald Isle. And if gambling is your particular thing, then there's certainly no shortage of gaming activities to take part in. Everything from greyhound and horse racing, to your more traditional casino table games of poker, roulette, craps, baccarat, and blackjack. Not only that, but all online casinos are also completely legal, giving you a massive number of casino gaming options via your mobile phone.

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A Guide To Irish Gambling Laws For Tourists

Without a doubt, one of the most interesting travel destinations in all of Europe is the Emerald Isle. After all, the country is full of natural beauty. It’s also home to a majestic history, and vibrant culture. In fact, no matter where you go, you’ll find something that will surprise, captivate, and inspire you. We can definitely recommend a trip to Celtic Ireland as it will well prove it’s its value simply because there’s so much to see and do. It doesn’t matter whether you’re on a walking holiday or there for the Irish gambling, there’s something for everyone.

You’ll find there are many bustling cities, equal in cultural value to those found across the rest of Europe. Whether you want to go shopping or you are a foodie or fine arts and culture lover, you’ll find plenty to do. It doesn’t matter whether the cosmopolitan destinations such as Cork, Dublin, or Galway, all have a huge number of interesting things to offer.

If the city is not for you, then you can take a trip away from the hustle and bustle and go off the beaten path to many of the grasslands and glacial lakes. You can find amazing views from the breathtaking cliffs that plumb it down into the cold Atlantic. And as you walk, you’ll spy ancient castles sat on high, overlooking vast sceneries of emerald green.

Gambling Is In The Blood

With so much to offer, with its lovely countryside and rich culture, it’s not surprising that Ireland has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. And you have to admit that it’s full of boisterous and fun-loving people who are incredibly friendly. And just looking to have a good time. Of course, we imagine you’ll come to the famous pubs in the Emerald Isle where you can sample whisky, Guinness and other dry stouts. Furthermore, Ireland is well-known for its gambling action. Probably the most popular sports for sports betting on greyhounds and horse racing. In fact, you could say that they’re an intricate part of the Irish lifestyle. If you’re visiting Island as a tourist, then there are multiple options available to you when it comes to Irish gambling. These include the following activities:

Horse racing and greyhound racing
Other local sportsbooks
Irish national lotteries
Private gaming clubs, (AKA informal casinos)
Online casinos

With the above list, you can see that there’s plenty of betting and gaming action taking place throughout Ireland. If you love games a chance, then you’ll find at all these games are perfectly legal at online casinos like 22Bet Casino. Before we start looking in-depth at the individual games, let’s have a quick look at the history of gambling in Ireland. From this will be able to see the evolution of gambling laws. You’ll also learn what to expect from different forms of gambling if you ever should visit the island as a tourist.

A Brief History Of Irish Gambling

Just like the UK, Ireland has a long history of gambling. And even though the UK may be more famous for its bookmakers and online websites, you find the Irish are no slouches when it comes to the population supporting its homegrown betting industries. Many ancient historical sites have revealed dozens of beads made of glass, as well as bones which were all probably used as gambling devices. Though gambling may have existed before pre-Christian Ireland, it was after the English conquered the Emerald Isles in the 17th century, that all forms of gambling were introduced.

Thanks to the British aristocracy, horse racing was one of the first betting activities to become popular. You can also thank the British for introducing games of chance like roulette and blackjack. Until the 20th century, there were no gambling regulations in place at all.

The Major Irish Gambling Laws

Shortly after Irish Independence, the first gambling laws passed, resulting in the Betting Act of 1926. Three years later, the Totalizer Act followed. Then during the 1930s, there were many revisions to the original Betting Act. After the second world war in 1956, the biggest law pertaining to gambling saw its passage through parliament. Called the Gaming and Lotteries Act, it created basic regulations for all forms of gambling activities. Interestingly enough, this also outlawed all land-based casinos, thus making them illegal. This situation continues to this day.

Thanks to the increasing popularity of slot machines, the Financial Act was passed in the 1970s. It was revised in 1991 in order to better regulate gambling that was increasingly turning towards technology. The National Lottery was established in the 1980s as a means of funding Ireland’s social services.

The Status Of Casinos In Ireland In 2020

In keeping with the original 1956 law, today all land-based casinos are still illegal in Ireland. That means that there are no land-based casinos in Ireland at all. Nevertheless, betting establishments do exist thanks to a loophole in the law. This means you are able to gamble in “private clubs.” So though are there no casinos or other gambling establishments, you are still able to play the jackpot slots machines and casino table games, providing you’re a club member. As of the time of writing, there are around 12 private gambling clubs throughout Ireland.

If you walked into one you might be mistaken for thinking that casinos are banned. After all, these private clubs look just like small land-based casinos. You can find poker rooms, roulette and blackjack tables, as well as an array of all types of slot machines. The biggest difference between these and your regular casino is that all players must become “members” at the club. But the kicker is that membership is absolutely free! This clearly shows that these clubs exist as a way of circumnavigating the original gambling laws.

Of these 12 casinos, you’ll find 7 of them are located in Ireland’s capital, Dublin. The others are spread around major cities like Cork, Dundalk, and Limerick. The opening times are very much dependent on the club’s rules and you can only attend provided you are over 18 years of age. Many of them insist on a dress code which is usually business casual.” Yet some of these private members’ clubs will insist on formal attire.

Sports betting In Ireland

Without a doubt, one of the biggest income sources for the Irish gambling industry is horse racing. Though in the past placing bets was restricted to licence local sportsbooks and betting counters at the racecourse, today you can simply place your bets and watch the live-action online. An amendment to the Betting Act was passed in 2015 and it was this that legalised online sportsbooks, including those that are based outside of Ireland. Essentially, providing these gambling companies follow Irish law, they can apply for a licence. And then offer offshore sportsbook betting markets to Irish-based customers.

As for betting market options, you have betting shops as well as international bookies. Horse racing is by far the most popular sport for betting. It’s closely followed by football, Gaelic football, and golf.

Lotteries In Ireland

As with all countries in Europe, the lottery is incredibly popular. In Ireland, you have three choices. They are the Lotto, the Daily Million and the EuroMillions. A company called the Irish National Lottery runs the three lotteries and has been doing so since 1987. It’s also possible to buy scratch cards, as well as play TV bingo games. We should point out that the National Lottery is not a private organisation, even though it started off being run by the government. An amendment to the 2013 Lotteries Act was to allow private ownership of lotteries through a licencing system. Doing so allowed for a huge increase in the sales of online lottery tickets, which in turn increased revenues.

Online Gambling Sites In Ireland

Over the last decade, we’ve seen more and more online sportsbooks appearing across Ireland. And though the land-based casinos maybe been formally banned, if you go online you can play exactly the same jackpot games including roulette, poker, craps and blackjack. If you’re in Ireland then you can play all these games and remain fully legal. That’s because the Irish government allows both local and offshore operators to apply for a licence.

Meaning there are many sites offering casino games throughout Ireland. You may well also find other operators coming from the UK. As well as ones with their bases in Malta and Cyprus. our favourite among these is 22Bet Casino. It offers all new Irish players a fantastic welcome offer of 100% up to 122 Euros, which is a great way to increase your jackpot winning chances.

The Future Of Irish Gambling

With The banning of all brick-and-mortar casinos, it’s no surprise that the government has been attempting to modernise the Irish gambling system recently. Over the last 67 years, several government bills have been tabled. Finally, it was in 2019 that a revised version of the Gaming and Lotteries Act was passed. These reforms bring the Irish gambling ecosystem into the modern era and include such things as:

Have a uniform age limit of 18 for all gambling services
Introduce a central regulatory authority, like the UK Gambling Commission
Improve the licensing system for online gambling and sportsbooks
The legalization of land-based casinos

We must confess that changes and progress toward legalising land-based casinos have been incredibly slow. Nevertheless, if you’re visiting as a tourist, you still find plenty of gambling activities available we should keep you occupied on the Emerald Isle. You never know, but maybe you could win the jackpot online whilst sampling a delicious pint of Guinness!