Compliance Updates
Ireland Embraces GRAI: Transforming the Landscape of Online Betting
The Minister for Justice, Mr Jim O’Callaghan T.D. has signed the order to commence parts of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 to enable the Authority to become operational and the order to establish Údarás Rialála Cearrbhachais na hÉireann, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, on a statutory basis.
Minister O’Callaghan has also approved the appointment of the seven members of this new, independent Authority, who will be appointed and commence their roles with effect from tomorrow, 5 March, 2025. They will be the members of the Authority which is responsible for regulating and licencing all gambling providers in the State and which has wide ranging powers to regulate both in-person and online gambling, gaming and most lotteries.
Mr. Paul Quinn has been appointed as chair of the Authority and the other newly appointed members are as follows:
• Ms. Celine Craig
• Ms. Marion Kelly
• Ms. Rita Purcell
• Mr. David Hickson
• Mr. Michael McGrath
• Dr. Colin O’Driscoll
Minister O’Callaghan said:“Today marks a new era for the regulation of gambling in the Irish State.
“The establishment of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland is a further step towards replacing Ireland’s outdated gambling laws with a streamlined and simplified licensing framework, which will reflect the nature of modern gambling and take into account the harms associated with problem gambling, providing safeguards to protect people from those harms, especially children.
“It is designed to meet the challenges of gambling responsibly in 21st century Ireland, providing clarity for operators and for consumers and taking a responsible approach to balancing the freedom to gamble with the safeguards to protect people from falling prey to addiction.
“I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the hard work of my predecessor, Minister Helen McEntee and Minister James Browne, in the development of this legislation.”
Minister O’Callaghan added: “I warmly congratulate Mr. Paul Quinn on his appointment as Chair of the new Authority and each of the newly appointed Authority members and wish them well in their new roles.
“The newly appointed members will now join CEO Anne-Marie Caulfield and her staff in commencing the Authority’s operations and legislative powers, on a phased basis. I understand that this includes, as a priority, work on progressing the licensing process, with a view to inviting applications for some licence types within the coming year.”
In accordance with the provisions of section 17 of the 2024 Act, appointments to the Authority will be for an initial period of three or four years. All members of the Authority may be reappointed for a second four-year term.
Speaking this morning, Minister Browne stated: “Minister O’Callaghan’s actions today mark the culmination of much hard work and dedication by Minister McEntee, Ms. Caulfield, Minister O’Callaghan and myself, supported by a core team of Authority staff and Departmental officials.
“I am pleased and encouraged at this Government’s commitment to continuing the phased commencement of the Authority’s operations and legislative powers as a priority.”
Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, T.D., commented: “I welcome today’s development as an important step towards ensuring that the harms associated with gambling are minimised. I look forward to the Department of Health working with the Gambling Regulatory Authority on initiatives to promote and progress this important goal.”
Welcoming the establishment of the Authority and the appointment of its members, the CEO of the GRAI Anne-Marie Caulfield said: ‘I greatly welcome the appointment of the seven-member Authority and the establishment of Údarás Rialála Cearrbhachais na hÉireann. I would like to thank the Ministers, Oireachtas members, the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and Department of Justice officials for their work in bringing about our establishment.
“I look forward to fulfilling our mandate and delivering a safe, well-regulated and transparent sector, with consumer protection at its core.”
The post Ireland Embraces GRAI: Transforming the Landscape of Online Betting appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Carey Theil
Greyhound Advocates Applaud Oregon Governor Tina Kotek for Signing Historic Internet Betting Ban on Greyhound Races
The largest greyhound protection group in the world thanked Oregon Governor Tina Kotek for signing a bill to outlaw the processing of internet bets on dog races, calling the new law a landmark victory for greyhound advocates.
“This is the biggest victory for American greyhound advocates since Florida outlawed dog racing in 2018. The walls are closing in on the final remnants of this cruel industry,” said GREY2K USA Executive Director Carey Theil.
Internet wagers on dog races can only be legally processed in two states, Oregon and North Dakota. More than $155 million was gambled on dog racing in 2024 through these Advance Deposit Wagering platforms, with Oregon processing 57% of all internet greyhound bets nationwide. House Bill 3020 phases out the processing of greyhound bets by July 1, 2027. It also ends remote gambling on dog races in Oregon, known as simulcasting.
Greyhound racing is a dying industry, and only continues to exist at two tracks in West Virginia. Florida voters outlawed the activity in 2018 by a vote of 69% to 31%, closing twelve operational racetracks. A bill to prohibit gambling on dog racing nationwide was introduced in the 118th Congress. The bipartisan Greyhound Protection Act earned the support of 80 cosponsors and more than 250 humane groups, anti-gambling organizations, and local animal shelters.
Since 2022, greyhound simulcasting has been outlawed in the seven states of Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Oregon. When all of these laws take effect, gambling on greyhound racing will only be legal in fourteen states.
All mainstream animal protection groups oppose dog racing due to animal welfare concerns. At the final two tracks in West Virginia, state records indicate that 487 greyhounds were injured in 2024 including 162 dogs that suffered broken bones and thirteen greyhounds that died. Thousands of dogs also endure lives of confinement at West Virginia tracks, kept in cages barely large enough for them to stand up or turn around for long hours each day.
Formed in February of 2001, GREY2K USA is the largest greyhound protection organization in the US with more than 300,000 supporters. As a non-profit 501(c)4 organization, the group works to pass stronger greyhound protection laws and end the cruelty of dog racing on both national and international levels. GREY2K USA also promotes the rescue and adoption of greyhounds across the globe.
The post Greyhound Advocates Applaud Oregon Governor Tina Kotek for Signing Historic Internet Betting Ban on Greyhound Races appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Compliance Updates
UK Gambling Commission Publishes Further Data on the Gambling Industry in Great Britain
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has published further data on the gambling industry in Great Britain.
This data, sourced from operators, reflects the period between March 2020 and March 2025, inclusive, and covers online and in-person gambling covering Licensed Betting Operators (LBOs) found on Britain’s high streets.
This release compares Quarter 4 (Q4) of financial year 2024 to 2025, with Q4 of 2023 to 2024, looking at how the market has changed in comparative periods over a year.
The latest operator data shows:
• online total Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) in Q4 (January to March) was £1.45 billion, an increase of 7% from Q4 the previous year. The overall number of total bets and/or spins increased 5% Year-on-Year (YoY), to 25.2 billion, whilst the average monthly active accounts in the quarter increased 2%, to 13.5 million.
• real event betting GGY increased by 5% YoY to £596 million. The number of bets decreased 1%, while the average monthly active accounts in Q4 decreased 2%.
• slots GGY increased 11% to £689 million YoY. The number of spins increased 6% to 23.4 billion while the average monthly active accounts in Q4 increased 6% to 4.5 million per month.
• the number of online slots sessions lasting longer than an hour increased by 5% YoY to 10.1 million. The average session length stayed consistent at 17 minutes. Approximately 6% of all sessions lasted more than one hour, the same as the Q4 the previous year.
• LBO GGY decreased by 3% to £554 million in Q4 2024 to 2025, compared to the same quarter last year. The number of total bets and spins decreased by 5% to 3.1 billion.
The post UK Gambling Commission Publishes Further Data on the Gambling Industry in Great Britain appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Former World Championship semi-finalist Andy Jenkins has been handed an 11-year ban and £17580 fine for match-fixing.
Following a hearing before the DRA Disciplinary Committee Jenkins was found guilty of fixing 12 matches between 22 February 2022 and 5 July 2023 and passing information relating to this to bettors.
Jenkins also admitted using his own account to place 88 bets on matches between 17 March 2022 and 4 May 2023, breaching a DRA rule preventing any player from betting on any darts event.
The UK Gambling Commission’s Sports Betting Intelligence Unit (SBIU) supported the investigation by facilitating information gathered in the course of its enquiries.
Full details of Jenkins’ failures can be found on the DRA website.
John Pierce, Commission Director of Enforcement, said: “This case sends a strong and unequivocal message to all sportspeople – if you fix matches, you are likely to be caught and face serious consequences.
“Betting customers in Britain deserve confidence that the markets they engage with are fair and free from corruption.
“Our Sports Betting Intelligence Unit will continue to work closely with partners such as the Darts Regulation Authority to identify and prevent match-fixing.”
The post Darts Player Andy Jenkins Gets 11-year Ban for Match-fixing appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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