Ireland Gives No Date for Gambling Ad Rules as Talks With Attorney General Continue

^{Leinster House in Dublin, seat of the Oireachtas. The Justice Minister told the Dáil that work on commencing gambling advertising rules is continuing. (Photo: David Kernan / Wikimedia Commons)}

Ireland’s Department of Justice says work is under way to bring the advertising rules of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 into force, but it cannot yet say when. The Department said it is “not possible at this juncture” to give a timeline for the provisions covering advertising.

The position emerged in written Dáil answers from Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan on 3 November and in a Department statement reported on 6 November. It does not signal new restrictions. The talks concern provisions that were already passed by the Oireachtas.

What the Department Said

In reply to Deputy Colm Burke, who asked when a group of sections of the Act would commence, the minister said his Department is working with the Office of the Attorney General to commence the provisions. He said the Act’s protections are contingent on providers being licensed and regulated by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI).

The Department told the Racing Post that the advertising provisions “primarily apply to those licensed by the GRAI and have not been commenced as yet”. It added that the minister supports commencement as soon as is legally and operationally feasible.

“It is not possible at this juncture to provide a timeline for the commencement of the provisions in respect of advertising.”

What Is Still Not in Force

The uncommenced advertising sections would let the GRAI decide when, where and how often gambling adverts can appear. Section 149 would bar licensees from advertising on broadcast and on-demand services between 5.30am and 9pm, and another section would limit social media adverts to people who have subscribed to a licensee’s account.

Trade reporting on the commencement order of 3 February, S.I. No. 31 of 2026, says it brought most of Part 6 of the Act into force from 5 February. In the advertising chapter, however, it commenced only section 142(1), which deals with employing children, and left the rest for later.

Deputy Ken O’Flynn also asked for commencement dates for sections 144, 146 and 149 and was not given one. Trade reports note that the minister gave a similar answer on 13 October, so the latest replies repeat the existing position rather than change it.

Licensing Timetable

The Department links the advertising rules to GRAI licensing. Trade reporting says remote betting operators moved to GRAI licences on 1 July, in-person bookmakers follow on 1 December, and licensing for gaming is expected to start in early 2027.

The regulator has also been open about resourcing. It has warned that a funding shortfall will delay reforms.

The underlying law passed after a lengthy debate, including the point at which the Gambling Regulation Bill overcame an incentives amendment.

Enforcement is already visible elsewhere. The GRAI’s interventions have led some operators to restrict access, as when Stake blocked access for Irish customers after a GRAI intervention. Until the advertising sections commence, the regulator cannot enforce the Act’s advertising rules.