Ireland got its first licensed online gambling operators after the country released a total of 27 remote gaming licences. The list was published by Ireland Tax and Customs on 1st of September and included names of more than 20 companies that received a 2-year licence to offer online gambling services in the country.
Nektan and PokerStars were the first two providers that boasted with their brand new Irish gambling licence in August, whereas now they are joined by many other well established names including William Hill, Ladbrokes, Betfair, Gala Coral, Bet365 and Betfred. Irish betting firms Boylesports, Matchbook and Paddy Power were also on the list, alongside internationally recognised SkyBet, Full Tilt, bet-at-home and 188BET.
The new licensing regime in Ireland was presented on 1st of August and it extends the 1% tax on betting turnover paid by retail bookmakers to remote gaming sites. Internet betting exchanges, on the other hand, are required to pay 15% tax on their betting profits. In addition, licence holders will have to pay €10,000 every two years in order to renew their licence for operating within Ireland’s borders.
All remote gambling operators were invited to submit applications for Irish gaming licence back in April. Nevertheless, some companies took their time; for example, bwin.party applied in August. Hence, their names weren’t included on the list.
According to the expectations of the Irish government, the country would gain additional €25 million per year from licensing fees and taxes from remote gaming companies that want to be available to Irish players.
In order to prevent illegal gaming activities, Ireland voted for more rigorous fines as well. Therefore, servicing Irish customers without a licence will cost a company €150,000, while repeated offenders will face fines of €300,000.