Best Gambling Sites Ireland
Gambling has been on a roller coaster in Ireland.
Some forms of gambling have only been legal for the last 7-8 decades. As for the other forms of gambling that are still illegal, operators still find a “legal” way to offer them.
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Then, over the past couple of years, additional changes or laws have been introduced to accommodate the newest way to gamble – the internet.
In our guide to the best online casinos in Ireland, we uncover top-rated real money casinos for Irish players. Our current #1 rated casino for 2021 is Betway Casino. Read on to find out about.
In fact, there was talk as recently as the end of 2017 about creating some kind of gaming commission because none currently exists in Ireland. This office, if approved, would oversee things like gambling addiction, advertising, and more.
You see what we mean about a roller coaster? Gambling is all over the place.
The good news is that online gambling is alive and well for Irish players. You have lots of options for where to bet and play. We’ve assessed all those options and compiled the following list of recommended sites for Irish gamblers.
Rank | DE Gambling Site | Exclusive Bonus | Products | Get Started | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | Betway | 100% Up To€250 |
| Visit Site | Betway |
#2 | Europa Casino | 200% Up To€500 |
| Visit Site | Europa Casino |
#3 | Jackpot City Casino | 100% Up To€400 |
| Visit Site | Jackpot City Casino |
#4 | 22Bet | 100% Up To€300 |
| Visit Site | 22Bet |
#5 | Spin Casino | 100% Up To€400 |
| Visit Site | Spin Casino |
The number of online gambling options you have in Ireland means that you should not feel like you need to skimp or sacrifice gaming options or features when choosing where to play. You should have no problem finding a gambling site with everything you want.
Now, you can find this site on your own, but it can take hours due to all the due diligence you’ll need to perform beforehand. You need to make sure the site you choose is licensed, reputable, runs fair games, and more.
A much faster alternative is to piggyback off our hard work. We’ve already done the due diligence for you. This means that you can choose a gambling site from the list above and be confident that you’re going to have a good time.
These sites were chosen first and foremost because of their reputation, licensing, and fair gaming. However, we also feel they’re worth recommending because of these reasons.
- They have a diverse selection of betting and game options.
- You have several promotions to choose from, no matter what you want to gamble on.
- You can choose from several banking methods to fund your account and cash out your winnings.
You’d be hard-pressed to find gambling sites better than these.
In fact, why don’t we take a few minutes to talk in detail about how we go about choosing the best gambling sites for anyone, including those of you in Ireland? That way you can see the thought process that goes into each site we select.
Before we get into all that, here are some alternative recommendations you may want to check out. The sites listed on the following pages have been chosen based on more specific criteria than the ones above.
Choosing sites to recommend to our readers is no easy task. We can’t choose just any site. They need to meet our standards in several areas, as well as be a good fit for our readers – in this case, our readers in Ireland.
With that in mind, here are the things we look for.
Licensing and Regulatory Bodies
One of the first things we look for is whether the site is licensed, and if so, where the license comes from.
Ireland doesn’t have their own regulatory body…yet. It sounds like they’re working on it. That said, per the Betting (Amendment) Act 2015, any company that wants to offer services to players in Ireland needs to be licensed.
Now, while any license is better than no license, there are better jurisdictions and regulatory bodies than others. Some are stricter than others are. Some give you more options for reporting or seeking recourse against rogue operators than others do.
It just depends.
The licenses we prefer to see include those from the UK Gambling Commission, Malta Gaming Authority, and the Government of Gibraltar.
Any license is better than no license, though.
The perfect scenario is finding a gambling site that offers all of the following products.
- Casino
- Poker
- Sports Betting
- Bingo
From here, we check each section to see how robust it is.
Most casinos will have a solid casino and/or sportsbook. The rest of their products will be average.
In rare cases, a casino will excel in more than one area, such as the casino and sportsbook or sportsbook and poker room. These are truly unicorns in the industry, and you should strongly consider joining them if possible.
But what makes a section “robust,” though? This is what we look for.
- A large variety of casino games to choose from. This includes video poker and slot machines, scratch tickets, and a live dealer casino.
- Lots of sports and betting markets. We prefer a sportsbook that covers all the basic sports (American football, basketball, baseball, football (soccer), hockey, etc.), as well as less-popular sports (handball, darts, etc.). Live betting and esports are both important to us nowadays, too.
- Many bingo rooms and variants. Some bingo sites make the mistake of only having 80- or 90-ball bingo. We try to find sites with bingo sections that offer 30-, 40-, and 75-ball bingo, too.
Ultimately, we just try to make sure that the sites we choose are well-rounded, as that’s likely to appeal to more people. It gives you the best chance of finding something you want to play or bet on.
Here are a couple of things that are important to us about offers.
- There are offers for every product (sports, casino, poker, bingo, etc.) on their site.
- We give more weight to game- or sport-specific offers. For example, live casino free bets, free soccer bets, free spins for slot machines, etc.
- We look for and compare welcome bonuses. You should look at both the total amount (max bonus) and the match percentage. Pro tip: players on a budget will want to look for a higher match percentage since you’ll get more bang out of every buck you deposit.
- Rollover requirements are important. How much money do you need to wager in order to cash out your winnings? The lower the amount, the better. You also need to look at things like if the bonus is cashable, how long you have to clear the bonus, and more.
Ideally, the site puts out regular offers, too, either by email, social media, or directly to you from within your player account.
One area that’s really important to use is VIP programs. The idea behind this is pretty simple – if you’re going to spend the money anyway, you might as well get something in return for it.
There are all sorts of VIP programs out there. Some have multiple levels, where you can earn perks like cash-back, bonuses, trips, higher stakes, cheaper banking, and more as you move up in levels.
Others are simpler. You’ll earn points for every dollar or ten you spend. Once you earn enough points, you can exchange them for cash-back.
Some VIP programs are separate from one product to the next. Others are combined. Ultimately, you won’t know which is best for you until you compare how hard it is to earn each perk and/or dollar in cash-back to the amount of money you have to spend to get it.
One thing is for sure, though – you should join a site with a VIP program over one that doesn’t have one, all other things being equal.
Banking Options, Limits, and Fees
Banking is important to consider regardless of if you’re looking for a sportsbook, a bingo site, or an all-in-one gambling site.
However, we could make an argument that it’s more important for our all-in-one site readers. We’ll tell you why in a second.
Banking options will be pretty much the same no matter what you play. What we look for is a wide range of popular options that are available worldwide. For example, banking options like these.
And so on.
But we also want to find gambling sites that also accept local banking options. For example, banking options like these.
- Zimpler
- boku
- PayForIt
- Ukash
Another thing we look at – and this is arguably why banking is far more important for all-in-one sites than specialized sites – is banking limits.
For example, if you want to play bingo, you don’t need high banking limits. A $100 or $250 bankroll will take you a long way. A bingo site with deposit and withdrawal limits that are around these amounts will suffice.
But what if you like to play bingo and play slots? What if you want to play slots for high stakes – say $100, $250, or $500 per spin? Then the banking limits need to be much higher to accommodate how much money you need for a bankroll.
The best gambling sites won’t have any deposit limits. They will also either have no cash-out limits (rare) or will have limits in the upper 5-figure and possibly even 6-figure range.
Last, we look at banking fees. We look for and prefer sites that don’t charge fees on deposits. These aren’t terribly hard to find.
Finding an Irish-friendly gambling site that doesn’t charge fees on cash-outs is far rarer. So rare, in fact, that you shouldn’t waste time trying to find one that doesn’t charge fees, but one that charges low fees instead.
You can expect to find fees in the $30-$60 range for bank wires. Most other fees will be a percentage somewhere in the 3%-5% range.
If possible, try to find the lowest fee. This is especially important for percentage-based fees.
These are the things we feel that are most important when choosing a gambling site for players in Ireland. We recommend you use these too if you decide to try to find a site on your own.
From here, your criteria will change based on what you want to play or bet on. In other words, if you want to primarily bet sports, you’ll want to find a site that has the sports betting markets, promos, features, and more that you’re interested in.
Keep in mind, though, that the more specific you get, the harder it can be to find a site that ticks all the boxes on your must-have list.
Is Gambling in Ireland Legal?
Gambling is legal in Ireland, but it’s taken a few years (okay, decades) to get to this point. The country isn’t done yet, either, as the country is still working on implementing new laws and even their own gaming commission, the Office of Gambling Control, Ireland (OGCI).
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s go back a few decades to see how the gambling laws have changed up until now.
The first law that was passed was the Betting Act 1931. This was followed by the Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1956. These laws regulated all legal gaming in the country.
The only legal form of gaming, though, was sports betting and the lottery – casinos were still illegal. However, because there were/are loopholes in the law, private “members-only” clubs that offered casino games emerged. These, apparently, weren’t breaking any laws and still exist today.
Then the 1931 bill was amended in 2015 with the Betting (Amendment) Act 2015. This update focused on licensing and taxation regarding operators. This amendment allowed operators to provide online gaming and betting services so long as they have a license and renew them every two years.
Operators will have to pay €10,000 for their license. The cost to renew their license will depend on their annual turnover. However, the limits range from €10,000 to €500,000 (based on a €500,000,000 annual turnover). Remote bookmakers pay a little less – a max of €200,000.
The amendment prohibits operators from passing on these costs to their customers.
That’s gambling in Ireland in a nutshell.
While Irish gamblers don’t have all the options European or American gamblers do – legit brick-and-mortar casinos are a ways off, for example – you can still bet sports and horses, play the lottery, casino games, and whatever else you want online.
Seriously, you can join just about any online gambling site so long as they’re licensed and regulated. You know, so long as they’re following the rules.
Those are the only types of sites we recommend here. It’s for that reason that, if you’re looking for the best gambling sites for Ireland, we suggest you choose one from our list above. They’re all safe and high-quality sites that we’d play at ourselves.
FAQ for Gambling Online in Ireland
There are a few things that Irish gamblers should know about gambling online or off in Ireland. Between that and the questions we get, we figured it’d be helpful to include an FAQ section.
What you’ll find below are the commonly-asked questions we get and our answers about gambling in Ireland.
The earlier gambling laws, such as the Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1956, allowed people as young as 16 to participate in gaming amusement halls.
However, the standard today is that you need to be 18 years old in order to gamble online or off. Some of Ireland’s “members-only” clubs may even require you to be 21 before you can join.
Can players in Ireland play at offshore gambling sites?
Yes, so long as the operators are following the rules. They need to be licensed, renew their license every couple of years, and pay their taxes/dues.
We’re not lawyers, so it’s a good idea to do your own due diligence with someone who is.
That said, it looks like players aren’t currently taxed on their gambling winnings. The money you win from gambling isn’t considered income or capital gain, but instead the “receipt of luck.”
Can Irish gamblers claim bonuses?
Yeah, casinos don’t prohibit players from Ireland from claiming their deals. Irish players will be able to claim all sorts of deals. For example:
- Welcome bonuses
- Reload bonuses
- Free bets
- Free spins
- Free bingo tickets
You’ll also be able to participate in VIP programs, if the gambling site has one. With a VIP program, you can earn additional perks, such as cash-back, bonuses, the ability to play for higher stakes, expedited cash-outs, and more.
The trick is finding the gambling site that has the best offers for the games you want to play.
Most gambling sites will let you play in several currencies. The sites in our list will let you play in euros and pounds, and often even in USD, CA, and AU.
Do you need special software to gamble online?
Not usually. If you have a computer made within the last 5 or maybe 10 years, you should be okay. If the casino has a download, it’s possible they have a less intense version that will use up less of your computer’s resources – if that’s a concern.
Most casinos nowadays don’t even offer download but instead browser casinos. All you’ll need in those cases – for no-download, instant-play, or browser casinos – is a computer, web browser (Chrome, Safari, and Firefox are good options), and Adobe Flash.
Yes. Because most casinos offer instant-play casinos, most times you won’t even have to download an app. Just go to the casino of your choice from your mobile web browser, and you’ll be able to sign up, deposit, and play from your device.
The most commonly-supported devices are those that run on iOS or Android software. Blackberry and Windows-powered devices are hit or miss.
In some cases, there will be an app for you to download. Sometimes it will depend on what exactly you want to play or bet on. In other words, there might be an app for the poker room or sportsbook, but not the casino.
Our gambling site reviews will tell you what your (best) options are.
What casino games can the Irish play?
There’s pretty much no limits to what you can play, so long as you can find a casino that offers it. For example, you can expect to find the following games online:
- Slots
- Choose from a variety of 3, 5, 6, and 9-reel machines. You can play classic and video slot machines, as well as slots with progressive jackpots, bonus rounds, free spins, wilds, and more.
- Table Games
- Play games like blackjack, roulette, Three Card Poker, Caribbean Stud, craps, Casino Hold’em, and more. Many casinos offer lots of game variants, too.
- Video Poker
- Choose from games like Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, 10s or Better, Loose Deuces, and more.
- Live Dealer
- Play live casino games such as blackjack, roulette, Casino Hold’em, and more.
It shouldn’t be terribly difficult to find a casino that offers all of the games mentioned above and then some. Many casinos available to players in Ireland will have hundreds or even more than a thousand games.
Yes. This might sound like hyperbole, but you could say that it’s just as safe to gamble online as it is to bank or shop online. Online gambling sites use similar encryption technology to keep your private information private.
Combine that with the fact that operators need to follow laws and be licensed in order to offer games to Irish players, and you have an excellent recipe for a safe gambling experience.
Are you an Irish player looking for an online gambling site to use for your
wagers? If so, you’ve come to the right spot. We’ve built this page to bring you
a list of the best Ireland gambling sites. In addition, you’ll find loads of
other helpful online gambling-related information.
On this page, you’ll find everything you need to locate the best online
gambling site for you. Up first, you’ll see our top picks for the top Irish
gambling sites. After that, we’ve included sections about the legality of
gambling in Ireland, our selection process, frequently asked questions, site
reviews, and more.
If you’re ready to get started immediately, don’t miss our collection of top
Irish gambling sites below. Each of these has risen to the top in our battery of
tests to confirm who the real cream of the crop is.
If you’re an Ireland
resident, these are the absolute best online gambling sites where you’ll get the
best experience, betting options, and safety. In a later section, we’ll provide
you with color on how we picked these websites above all others.
Rank | DE Gambling Site | Deposit Bonus | Products | Get Started | |
#1 | 100% Up To €250 |
| Visit Site | ||
#2 | Europa Casino | 200% Up To €500 |
| Visit Site | |
#3 | 100% Up To €400 |
| Visit Site | ||
#4 | 22Bet | 100% Up To €300 |
| Visit Site | |
#5 | 100% Up To €400 |
| Visit Site |
Not ready to dive into picking a site just yet? Not a problem! For those of
you aren’t, keep reading below. We’ve still got lots of other helpful
information that will assist you in learning more about Ireland gambling sites.
If you’re ready to check out your options later, simply circle back to our
recommended sites above.
Short on time? Check out the jump links below. These can be used to help you
skip ahead to different sections of this page. However, if you’re looking to
learn the most about Irish gambling sites, be sure to stick around and view
everything this page has to offer.
How Do I Know These Sites Are Legit?
Deposit Methods
Ireland Online Gambling FAQs
Conclusion
What Are the Gambling Laws in Ireland?
As with most countries, Ireland has a continually evolving set of laws that
relate to gambling. Luckily, Ireland is working to update their laws often to
keep up with the emergence of new trends like online gambling. The beauty of
this is that it helps make things clearer for the country’s residents, as
opposed to other countries like the United States that still haven’t clearly
defined online gambling regulations.
From a land-based gambling operation standpoint, sports betting is legal.
While bingo halls and casinos are not technically legal, there is a loophole in
the laws that allow the creation of private clubs. These private clubs are a
members-only organization that essentially creates a mini casino or bingo hall.
Many of these private gambling clubs exist around the country.
One thing that’s definitely clear is that online gambling is legal in
Ireland. Thanks to some legislation recently passed, there’s no murkiness
attached with online gambling. If you’re a resident of the country, you’re free
to gamble online without any potential consequences.
If you’d like to read more about different gambling laws from around the
globe, click on the link below. It will take you to our page that’s dedicated to
gambling laws where you can explore things in more detail.
How Do I Know These Sites You’ve Recommended Are Legit?
As you’ll see below, we didn’t just toss darts at names on a wall to come up
with our list of suggested top Ireland gambling sites above. Instead, we
utilized a very in-depth review process to analyze any potential website we were
considering for the list.
Top of the list for us is safety. Since you’ve got your hard-earned money and
private personal information at risk, we value this more than anything. We
investigated each potential gambling site on our list to make sure that we were
confident in their safety and security measures. If you choose to work with any
one of our recommended websites above, we’re sure that you’ll be protected by
some of the best safety available in the industry.
However, we don’t just stop with safety. We dig deep into many other
different things as we research a website to see if it’s good enough to make our
cut. Some of the other areas we investigate are their bonuses, customer service,
banking methods, betting options, and so much more.
Lastly, there’s one other thing that you should know. While other websites
similar to ours accept funds from online gambling sites in exchange for them
being featured on one of their best of lists, we never do that. Here, we aim to
bring you an honest and accurate representation of the best of the best gambling
sites for Irish players. To do that, the only way a spot can be earned on our
list is by being one of the actual cream of the crop.
Best Online Gambling Sites
Deposit Methods Available for Irish Gamblers
Before you can begin gambling online, you’ll have to make a deposit onto the
website of your choice. As an Irish player, you’ll be able to choose from a
variety of banking methods. Below, we’ve listed out some of the more common
forms of deposit options available to residents of Ireland.
As an Irish player, you’ll also likely have access to other banking options
in addition to the ones above. Here, we worked to provide a list of some of the
most popular ones available. One thing worth noting is that deposit methods do
vary from site to site. That means you’ll have to locate an online gambling site
that provides you with banking options that work for your unique needs.
You can use the link below to learn more details about the deposit options
listed above. In addition, we also provide information on other types of online
gambling banking methods. To visit this page, click the link below.
Ireland Online Gambling FAQs
Finally, we didn’t want to wrap things up without providing you with some
frequently asked questions. Below, we’ve gathered up a collection of the most
frequently asked questions that readers ask us about Irish gambling sites. If
you’re still looking for more answers, we hope this section will be able to
assist you.
Which gambling site should I pick?
If you’ve never gambled online before, it can be daunting to think about the
process of picking the right site for you. Luckily, we’re here to help you.
Below, you’ll find a link to our page dedicated to how you can pick the right
online gambling site. On this page, we’ll provide you with tips and ideas on how
you can pinpoint the perfect website to use. Click below to visit this page.
Are these websites only for Ireland residents?
No. In most cases, our suggested sites above will accept players from many
other countries around the world. However, before you rush off and sign up at
one of these places, be sure to check out the link below. If you live in another
country or region, the link below will showcase our top picks for that area. By
using this link, you’ll be able to locate the ideal websites that you should use
to get the most out of your online gambling.
Can I gamble on other online gambling sites if I am an Irish resident?
Yes. Our list above is simply our suggested list of the top Ireland gambling
sites. It’s our opinion that if you’re an Irish player, these are the best
places for you to do your online gambling. However, if none of our recommended
options look great to you, there are many other websites out there that will
accept players from Ireland. We’d urge you to do lots of research before joining
any other online site to ensure they are a legit and trustworthy operation.
Am I safe gambling online?
Best Online Gambling Sites Usa
As long as you do some research before signing up for an online gambling
site, you should be safe when gambling online. That’s especially true if you use
any one of our best Irish gambling sites listed at the start of this page. We’ve
personally investigated each one of them to ensure that they offer you a trusted
and secure place to gamble. If you’re considering another online gambling site
that’s not on our list, be sure to do your homework to ensure that it’s a legit
and trustworthy operation.
Can I gamble from my tablet with your suggested sites?
Best Sites In Ireland
Yes! We’ve personally tested each of our top picks above to ensure they offer
a mobile-friendly website. Due to this, you’ll be able to wager not only from
your tablet, but also your smartphone! With these mobile options, you can
quickly place your wagers in a matter of moments from the palm of your hand.
Conclusion
We hope that we’ve been able to help you locate the perfect Ireland gambling
site for you. We’ve built this website to assist gamblers of all types and skill
levels with getting the most out of their gambling. Our site is filled with
loads of free gambling resources that you can use to sharpen your knowledge and
skills.
If you’ve never stopped by before, be sure to check out some of the
other awesome things we have to offer.
Thank you for reading and good luck with
your future online gambling wagers!