Ireland enacted the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 (Act No. 35 of 2024), with Part 9 containing advertising and sponsorship restrictions. These provisions are final statute but have not entered into force: as of August 2026, the Minister has not issued a commencement order for Part 9. S.I. No. 31/2026, the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 (Commencement) Order 2026, commenced specified sections of the Act but did not bring the advertising and sponsorship provisions into effect.
Section 230 and related provisions of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 prohibit gambling advertising that portrays gambling as attractive to children, promotes excessive or compulsive gambling, or misrepresents any social or financial benefits of gambling. Broadcasters and gambling licensees must comply with advertising and sponsorship obligations upon commencement. The Act creates a specific offence for manufacturing, selling, or supplying clothing or merchandise bearing gambling-licensee branding aimed at children, including merchandise supplied free of charge. Section 262 and related provisions prohibit licensees from sponsoring events where the majority of participants are children, or organisations, clubs, or teams that have children as members.
Gambling operators, broadcasters, and sports-sponsorship rights holders must track the Minister's future commencement order for Part 9. Operators with existing sponsorship agreements covering children's sports teams or events should assess those agreements against the statutory prohibitions now, before commencement. Online gambling operators running targeted advertising must audit audience-segmentation systems to confirm no advertising reaches users below or near minimum age thresholds. Merchandise suppliers and licensors that include gambling branding in general retail product lines must review whether those products reach the child market in Ireland.
No fixed commencement date for the Part 9 advertising provisions has been announced as of August 2026. The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), established under the Act, is operational, but advertising enforcement functions require the specific provisions to be commenced by ministerial order. Operators that begin compliance preparation before commencement will avoid a compressed implementation window once the commencement date is confirmed.
Licentium advises gambling operators, broadcasters, and sports-rights holders on Irish and EU gambling regulatory compliance. We track commencement orders as they are issued and assist clients with advertising compliance preparation and sponsorship agreement review. Operators may contact us for compliance assessments ahead of commencement. Work we undertake includes gambling regulatory advisory, advertising and sponsorship compliance review, Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland licensing preparation, and iGaming product compliance across EU jurisdictions.