Irish and UK Regulators Team Up For Gambling Laws
More uniformity is on the way for players in the UK and Ireland as the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) held a meeting with the CEO of the UK Gambling Commission in Dublin. This meeting, on April 2nd 2025, was intended to establish a framework of cooperation between the two countries. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed, and following this, discussions about compliance, enforcement, and other regulatory matters between the two countries.
When it comes to regulating the gambling space, now is perhaps a more crucial time than ever before. This is because the appetite for casino games, both online and offline, has never been bigger. Consumers are using a wider variety of currencies, games have become more innovative, and overall, the landscape is ripe for growth. As Andjelija Blagojevic explains, non-gamstop casinos have especially become popular among consumers, as players enjoy more freedom and fewer restrictions. (Source: https://www.cardplayer.com/uk/online-casinos/non-gamstop-casinos).
With the growth of gambling, especially online, having some sort of corporation across the two countries means that laws can be passed with as much information as possible, gambling service providers can be held to task, and consumers can have the best experience possible. This was a sentiment shared by Anne Marie Caulfield, Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland’s CEO, who spoke following the meeting.
“Ireland and the UK share many of the same operators and gambling practices, so putting this agreement in place will enhance our ability to share information and discharge our respective regulatory responsibilities effectively,” she said.
The UK and Ireland have a long and complex history, and many of the businesses that serve one market either serve the other or seek to.
Some trends we've seen in the gambling space over the last few years include more use of cryptocurrency, the impact of AI, the growing popularity of crash games, and so on. The next few years will only see even more changes to the space, and gambling commissions across the world seem to be taking proactive steps. The gambling regulatory authority of Ireland, for example, has said that it's looking to establish even more memorandums of understanding with gambling commissions all over the EU and beyond.
From this, we can expect that specific laws will be passed across different countries that take into account local nuances while still considering the bigger picture. This will include rules for gambling service operators that wish to serve multiple markets, as some have been known to set off offshore enterprises and register their businesses in specific countries to take advantage of laws. But if these laws are relatively similar across the board, offending parties will not be able to take advantage of such loopholes and instead will have to adhere to similar laws no matter where they are. Ultimately, casino users will be the ones to benefit the most from these developments.
