As you know, I like to place the occasional horse racing bet (not that I ever win big), but there are trends in the industry that I have been reviewing. Over the last few years, there has been a marked increase in black market betting. Unregulated and unlicensed bookmakers have been popping up all over the world, including Ireland. Although at first this may seem attractive to punters thanks to higher bonuses and fewer restrictions, it is dangerous and illegal. Such betting often leads to fraud and stolen personal information. As a result, it is vital for Ireland to reduce black market betting, but how?
New Gambling Regulator In Ireland
From the 5th March 2025, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) commenced operation after the Minister for Justice signed the Commencement Order the previous day. This was established from the Gambling Regulation Act of 2024 passed by the parliament during winter last year. The GRAI will receive over €9 million alone to help carry out its policies.
The main purpose of the GRAI is to license and regulate betting sites in Ireland. This means that when a bookmaker applies for a license and submits the application, the GRAI will oversee and administer the license. If a betting site is found out to be operating illegally, it will be taken down with immediate effect. Also, bookmakers will be monitored to ensure that they operate within the bounds of the law, for example paying taxes and taking steps to prevent crime and protect their customers. A quick search online shows the large number of newer Irish bookmakers constantly entering the Irish market, so overseeing these will be no small feat. Both online and retail shops will need to adhere to their rules, but the National Lottery is regulated by a different body.
Another task that the GRAI will take on is implementing an exclusion register, which will block punters who struggle with irresponsible gambling from setting up betting site accounts or gambling in person. Those with known unsafe habits are encouraged to sign up.
Lastly, the creation of a life-changing Social Impact Fund will take money paid by bookmakers and distribute it to a plethora of projects. These initiatives will include training staff members and increasing knowledge about safer gambling.
Other Ways To Reduce Black Market Betting
Allocating more money to regulatory bodies is a great way to make sure there is enough funding for the respective authorities to properly regulate bookmakers. This includes hiring more to conduct checks or devise new policies to replace the outdated ones that no longer align with modern-day gambling. For example, Sweden has recently launched a review of its own Gambling Act, using an investigator Marcus Isgren. The main issue with this act is that black market betting sites can bypass laws by avoiding using Swedish or their currency, so players can still use the sites. Similarly, Ireland can review their laws to ensure that illegal operators can in no way evade laws.
An effective way to reduce black market betting is to simply block sites from advertising on social media, especially WhatsApp and Telegram. The UK has many plans in place to limit this, ranging from limiting advertisements to directly taking down search engines and websites. Last year alone there was colossal increase in shutting down black market websites by up to ten times compared to 2023.
Other than blocking illegal websites, it is important for there to be devastating consequences for the criminals behind unlicensed betting operations. Introducing heavy fines and even threatening legal action is a powerful way to deter black market betting sites because there is greater punishment for running these sites than just shutting them down. Whilst referring these sites to be blocked is effective, this can often take time and therefore more needs to be done.
More has to be done for the public in terms of increasing awareness by spreading the risks of gambling on these sites. The more that the Irish public knows about these issues, the less traffic there will be on black market betting. The biggest risk is data leaks and stolen financial information, because illegal sites have poor security and there is no way to guarantee that your data is being protected. When registering you must provide contact information, as well as financial information when depositing funds into your account. With licensed betting sites there is data encryption and identity verification, whereas no such thing exists for unlicensed bookmakers. Also, Irish users must be aware that there is no promise the unregulated site will pay out your earnings, meaning there is no certainty you will make the profit promised to you. By publishing this information and increasing awareness, punters will not feel the same desire to use black market betting sites and will instead be more likely to opt for licensed alternatives.
How To Know If A Betting Site Is Licensed
Punters in Ireland can check if a betting site is licensed in many different ways. The most straightforward is simply by launching the website and scrolling down to the bottom of the homepage, where it will most likely state who the regulatory body is. In Ireland, this is the GRAI, but other bodies include the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC), Curacao, and Malta Gaming Authority (MGA). On the other hand, this information might be under a different heading such as in the ‘FAQ’ tab. Here it will say what type of license, how long it is valid for, who the licensing authority is, and any other relevant information.
There is also a public register that anyone can access which shows registered bookmakers; you can view the list to find out important information about the betting site if you wish to verify the information on their page or cannot find it.
Punters may have a myriad of reasons for resorting to unlicensed bookmakers: they fail the financial check risks, they are blocked from the mainstream sites, and there are more payment methods or better, more attractive bonuses. However, none of this takes away from the fact that these businesses are illegal and need to be eliminated from the industry entirely. In 2024 there were an estimated 536,000 online betting users in Ireland, and as this figure grows it is important to stress the significance of safe gambling.