Ireland’s gambling authority has released 27 remote gaming licences that allow operators to offer their services to Irish players. All licences are valid for two years and after that period licensees will have to pay €10,000 fee in order to renew them.
The revised list of approved Irish operators was published on 1st of September by the Ireland’s Tax and Customs Office. Not surprisingly, leading companies such as Boylesports, Paddy Power and Matchbook were included on the list. Additionally, the list features many popular UK betting operators as well; for example, players will recognise Ladbrokes, Gala Coral, Bet365, Betfred and William Hill.
When it comes to international sports betting operators that have been approved by the authority, the list includes bet-at-home, 188BET, Full Tilt and PokerStars.
The new regulations, which became official on the 1st of August, state that remote casino, gaming and bingo companies in the country have to pay 1% tax on their gross gaming revenue. Sports betting operations, on the other hand, will be paying a 15% net revenue rate.
Besides the new tax regulations, the government passed higher fines as well. Thus, any operator that will illegally offer its services to Irish players will be facing a €150,000 fine. Repeated offenders can be fined with up to €300,000.
The Irish government revealed expectations to gain additional €25 million per year from licensing fees and taxes by operators that are not willing to exit the Irish gambling market.