Ireland - licence checks and betting maths

Casinos Geek - the numbers-first notebook for gambling in Ireland

We check Irish betting operators against the GRAI licence register, work through the odds and commission maths, and label anything we could not verify as exactly that.

What this site does

Every operator on this site starts with one question: is it on the register of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI)? The register is public. Our copy was downloaded on 11.11.2026 from the version updated on 20.10.2026, and if a company is not on it, we do not write about it.

Three-step pipeline: check the GRAI register, calculate margin or commission, label each fact verified or pending — How every page on the site is built: register first, then the maths, then an honest label.

After the licence comes the arithmetic. A bookmaker's price carries a margin and an exchange charges commission on net winnings, so we show the sum rather than an adjective. BETDAQ, for example, charged Irish residents a flat 2% of net market winnings until it stopped trading on 21.10.2026 (help centre, read 11.11.2026).

The third habit is the label. Operator websites refuse connections from our server location, and we have not opened our own accounts yet. Where a term appears only on an operator site, or a fact needs a hands-on test, the page says "not verified yet" or "pending" and leaves the number out.

What is legal online in Ireland right now

Status as of 11.11.2026, taken from the GRAI register, the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 and Citizens Information.

Three cards: remote betting needs a GRAI licence (42 on the register), online casino has no GRAI licence, the National Lottery has its own law — What is legal online in Ireland as of 11.11.2026, from the GRAI register updated 20.10.2026.

Product	Legal status	How we cover it
Remote betting (bookmakers, exchanges)	GRAI licence required since 1.07.2026. The register updated 20.10.2026 has 42 rows: 37 Remote Betting, 4 Remote Betting Intermediary, plus 1 In-person Betting.	Reviews of licensed operators only, starting with exchanges and BoyleSports.
Online casino	No GRAI gaming licence exists on the register. GRAI says it is "engaging with the Revenue Commissioners on Gaming Licenses".	Information only: no casino lists, bonuses or links.
National Lottery	Separate law, the National Lottery Act 2013. Not regulated by GRAI.	Outside our reviews.

The 2024 Act is commencing in pieces. Since 5.02.2026 (S.I. No. 31/2026) credit cards cannot be used for gambling and remote operators must give you the option to set limits. Since 1.07.2026 a remote licensee must verify your identity and age before registration.

Three parts have not commenced: the advertising rules, the ban on inducements and the National Gambling Exclusion Register. Dates and the official texts are collected in Irish gambling law.

Where to start

Bookmakers - GRAI-licensed remote betting operators, beginning with BoyleSports (licence GRAI-0852-RB-26-0001).
Betting exchanges - Matchbook, Smarkets and Betfair Exchange on the register, what happened to BETDAQ, and how commission changes what you keep.
Calculators - odds conversion, each-way and accumulator returns, with the formula printed next to the answer.
Online casinos in Ireland - the legal position, explained without lists or offers.
Irish gambling law - what has commenced, what has not, and where the official text sits.

Bar chart: an €80 exchange profit leaves €78.40 at 2% commission and €76.00 at 5% — Worked example from this page: commission is charged on the net profit of a market.

Worked example: what 2% commission costs

You back a horse on an exchange at decimal odds 5.0 for €20 and it wins. Profit on the market: €20 x (5.0 - 1) = €80.

At 2% commission on net market winnings the charge is €1.60, so you keep €78.40. At a 5% rate you would keep €76.00. Same horse, same odds, €2.40 apart.

On a losing market there is nothing to charge: BETDAQ's published terms charged no commission on a net loss.

About this domain

casinosgeek.com is not a new address. It carried casino news and reviews in 2011 and again from 2021 to 2025. Those pages are no longer online.

The site is now run by a new editorial team under different rules: readers in Ireland, licensed operators only, casinos as information only, and every number tied to a source. Who we are and how the site is funded is on the about page.

What you will not find here

Operators that are not on the GRAI register, in any framing.
Casino rankings, casino bonuses or links to casino sites.
Tips on getting around geo-blocks or identity checks.
Claims that a bet cannot lose. Betting is not a way to earn an income.

Spotted a wrong licence number or an outdated date? The contact page explains how to tell us.

Questions

Is Casinos Geek a bookmaker?

No. We take no bets, hold no customer funds and have no account system. We publish checks and calculations about operators that hold a GRAI licence.

How can I check a betting licence myself?

Search the company or trading name at grai.ie/register and compare the licence holder with the company in the operator's terms. Our bookmakers hub explains how to read a row.

Why are there no online casino reviews here?

As of 11.11.2026 no GRAI gaming licence exists on the register, so there is no Irish-licensed online casino to review. Our casinos page explains the legal position as information only.

How often is the register data updated on this site?

Our current copy is from the register version updated 20.10.2026, downloaded 11.11.2026. Each page states the date of the data it uses, and we plan to re-check operator pages every 3 months.