Ireland’s betting market since 1 July 2026
For years, online bookmakers serving Irish customers held a remote bookmaker’s licence from the Revenue Commissioners. That system has closed. The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), established on 5 March 2025 under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, became the licensing authority for betting on 5 February 2026, and the remote betting licences it issues have been in force since 1 July 2026. The last Revenue remote licences ran out on 30 June 2026.
For readers that leaves one simple test. A bookmaker taking online bets from people in Ireland should appear on the GRAI public register with a remote betting licence number in the form GRAI-xxxx-RB-26-0001. Every bookmaker on Voienexo holds one; we last checked the register on 3 October 2026 and check it again at least once a month. If a licence lapses or no longer covers the brand we link to, the bookmaker comes off our lists.
Two things have not changed yet. The GRAI does not license online casino games: it has said applications for gaming licences will open during 2027 and 2028. That is one reason we cover sports betting only and never link to a casino section. And several parts of the 2024 Act, including its detailed advertising rules, its limits on promotional offers and the National Gambling Exclusion Register, have not commenced; the register is not yet operating. We keep the legal detail short on purpose: this is a site about sport and about choosing a bookmaker, not a law guide.
What “Best suited for” means
The stars say how a bookmaker does on five questions. “Best suited for” answers a different one: who is likely to get the most from it. A racing fan, someone who follows a county through the championship, a reader who mostly bets in-play on a phone and someone who wants firm limits from the first day need different things, and a single number hides that.
We draw the line from the same sources as the scores (the bookmaker’s Irish terms, help pages and sports menu) and pair it with a “think twice if” note in every review: a sport covered thinly, a payment method not listed, support hours not published. A bookmaker can be best suited for racing fans and still be the wrong choice for you if you only follow hurling.
Neither line is a recommendation to bet. It describes fit, so that you can rule a bookmaker out as easily as you rule one in.
Why you won’t find promotions or price hooks here
Most betting sites lead with an offer. We don’t list any. Offers change from week to week, carry conditions that are easy to miss, and are a reason to place a bet rather than a reason to choose a bookmaker. They play no part in our ratings, and you will not find promo codes, “boosted” prices or claims that one bookmaker always has the highest odds anywhere on Voienexo.
Prices are left out for a similar reason. Odds move all the time, and a snapshot from this morning tells you little about this evening. Our guides explain how fractional and decimal odds work and how each way terms change what you get back, so you can compare prices yourself on the day.
We don’t publish tips or predictions either. No one can tell you which bets will win, most bets lose, and we would rather spend our words on how markets work.
How to use the comparison
Start with the sport you care about. If it is racing, read the Irish sport coverage score first; if you mostly bet while a match is on, look at live betting and streaming. The overall rating is the simple average of five scores, rounded to the nearest half star, so a bookmaker with a modest total can still be the strongest on the one question that matters to you.
Then read the “Best suited for” line and the facts we quote from the bookmaker’s Irish pages: the version and date of its terms, the payment methods it lists, its support hours. Open our full review for the detail, and read the bookmaker’s own terms before you open an account. They are the rules that apply, and they can change after we have read them.
Compare two or three bookmakers, not six. Holding many accounts makes it harder to keep track of what you spend, and every account means another identity check.
Betting more safely starts before the first bet
Betting is entertainment, not a way to earn money, and most bets lose. Set a deposit limit when you open an account, before you place a bet (every bookmaker we list offers one), and decide in advance how much time and money a session is worth to you. If you find yourself betting more to recover what you have lost, stop and take a break.
For a longer break, use a time-out or self-exclusion at the bookmaker, and think about a blocking tool such as Gamban or BetBlocker, or a gambling block from your bank. Ireland’s national exclusion register is provided for in law but not yet operating, so these are the tools that work today.
Help is there if you need it: the GamblingCare National Helpline 1800 936 725 is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; the HSE Drugs and Alcohol Helpline 1800 459 459 is open Monday to Friday, 9:30 to 17:30; Extern Problem Gambling can be reached on 089 241 5401; and Gamblers Anonymous Ireland on 01 872 1133. More on our safer betting page.
How we are paid
Voienexo is not a bookmaker and does not hold a gambling licence. We do not take bets and we never hold your money. We may be paid a commission when a reader opens an account with a bookmaker through a link on this site. That can affect which bookmakers we feature and where they appear on a page; it never changes the facts we quote or the scores we give.
That is why we disclose commission next to every list, publish our rating method and keep promotions off the site. The full detail is in our advertising disclosure. If you think we have something wrong, whether a fact, a score or a licence number, tell us and we will check it.
Updated 3 October 2026
Racing
Guide: 
