Online betting accounts push Irish players toward casinos

A survey commissioned by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) finds that 38% of people who opened an online account for horse racing or sports later began playing casino games, slots, bingo or scratch cards. The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) published the report «Patterns of online and in-person gambling in Ireland» on 4 November 2026 after surveying 1,000 adults on behalf of the GRAI.

Methodology and launch

The study, carried out by Deirdre Robertson, Diarmaid Ó Ceallaigh, Shane Timmons and Pete Lunn, head of the ESRI Behavioural Research Unit, was presented on 4 November by Minister Jim O'Callaghan. The sample of 1,000 adults came from a market panel with quotas and weighting by age, gender, region and social class to represent gamblers in Ireland; those who only bought lottery tickets or retail scratch cards were excluded.

The report identified that 77% of respondents had gambled online in the previous year and 59% had gambled in person. Overall, 80% had at least one online account open and 53% of those account-holders maintained more than one account. The study also reports that around 10% of online gamblers have four or more accounts.

Product change after opening an account

Only 6% of respondents said they opened the account to play casino games exclusively and 4.5% to play slots. However, once the account was created a further 12% and another 9% began playing casino and slots respectively. Scratch cards rose from 15% to 28% when subsequent use of the account is considered. Of those who initially registered for horses or sport, 38% migrated to these more “immediate” forms of play, according to the ESRI.

Promotions, notifications and session drivers

The report notes that 62% of account-holders receive emails from operators and 52% receive app notifications; of the latter, one quarter receive notifications at least daily. The ESRI measures that watching sport triggered 19% of the most recent online sessions, while an email or notification triggered 9% and an advertisement 5.5%; the ESRI team summarises this as “one in seven” recent sessions motivated by an operator message or advertising. For in-person betting the share attributed to adverts was approximately 3%.

Difficulty stopping and resources used

Respondents indicated that depositing was much easier than withdrawing: 70% rated depositing as “very easy” versus 57% who said the same of withdrawals. Nearly one in five people who tried to close an account found the process difficult. One quarter of respondents are trying to reduce gambling or plan to do so; among those already trying to cut back, one in three reported gambling as much or more than a year earlier. Fewer than one in ten of those trying to reduce used self-exclusion.

Colin O'Gara, head of addiction services at St John of God Hospital, told the Irish Examiner that his patients have reported the same difficulty in closing accounts.

Regulator reaction and measures pending

The GRAI published the study with the ESRI in a joint statement on 4 November. Anne Marie Caulfield, chief executive of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, said:

"The research confirms the need for new obligations to be imposed on licensed operators."

Caulfield added that the authority will focus on “proportionate, practical protections including marketing rules, effective account controls and self-exclusion mechanisms”, but she did not provide a timetable.

From a regulatory perspective, remote betting licences began on 1 July 2026 and remote operators are required to close accounts on request. However, GRAI guidance indicates that the advertising restrictions contained in the law — including the consent requirement and opt-out options for marketing by SMS and email under section s147 — apply "from a date to be confirmed".

The GRAI has said that applications for gaming licences, which would cover the casino and slot products to which many bettors migrate, will open during 2027 and 2028.

Study limitations and next steps

The ESRI cautions that the finding that “one in seven” recent sessions followed a message or advert is a floor, not a full measure of marketing influence, because another 25% of sessions were preceded by a reminder of an upcoming event that respondents did not identify as an operator message or advertising. Results are self-reported and the report does not yet link these patterns to problem-gambling scores; the authors say that analysis is planned.

Pete Lunn noted that previous ESRI research for the GRAI estimated one in 30 adults has gambling problems, and that earlier work found incentives affect people with higher scores more strongly.

Until the GRAI issues orders that come into force and a harms analysis, the study describes gambler behaviour rather than direct evidence of harm, and leaves open the possibility that future rules could limit whether accounts can be linked to specific activities, closing the pathway the ESRI documents.

Documents cited

The ESRI and the GRAI published supporting materials and the press note on 4 November 2026; the decision to start remote licences was notified on 1 July 2026. The documents include sample figures, quotas, and the results referred to in this text.

— Miguel Sandoval, Corresponsal de regulación.