Ireland’s license deadline nears as offshore gambling grows

Ireland’s licensing deadline hits 1 July — Blask data shows offshore demand already grew 85% during the transition that licensed brands now need to survive.

In 2025, Ireland’s online gambling market reached $1.36B — 40% of the country’s total gambling revenue. This growth came during a transition period: Ireland had already adopted the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 and created a new regulator, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), but full licensing only launched on 5 February 2026.

The key date for operators is 1 July 2026. On that day, existing remote betting licences issued by the Revenue Commissioners expire. After that, operators will be able to legally serve Irish players only with a GRAI licence. Operating without one carries fines of up to $23.2M or 10% of turnover, whichever is higher.

What Blask sees in the transition window

Blask data shows that Ireland is approaching the licensing deadline with a large regulated core and a small but growing offshore segment.

Over the last year, Blask estimates Ireland’s total market CEB at $1.93B on average. Paddy Power remains the largest brand in the market: its CEB reached $611.19M, its Blask Index grew 22.34% YoY, and its share of total market BAP stood at 29.75%.

The offshore segment is much smaller, but it grew faster during the transition period. In January 2024, offshore CEB stood at $5.4M per month. By December 2025, it had reached $10M, an 85% increase over two years. Offshore brands still account for only about 6.6% of total market CEB, but this growth came while Ireland was creating a new regulator and preparing its licensing system.

That is the pressure point for GRAI — the new regime starts in a market where licensed brands still dominate, but offshore demand is already growing. Belgium is the warning case cited by the CEO of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland: after stricter rules came into force, the licensed market share there fell from 85% to 15%.

Compliance window

GRAI opened its operator portal on 9 February 2026. Operators must publish a notice of intent in a national newspaper at least 28 days before filing a full application, then pass corporate, financial and technical checks. After 1 July, unlicensed operators may face court orders requiring them to stop serving Irish customers.