The scale of the gambling industry in Ireland

Article volumetric text

1) Market summary: Where is Ireland in the European context

Ireland is a compact but "quality" market with high digital penetration, a strong betting tradition and home to global champion Flutter (Paddy Power, Betfair, etc.). The market is structurally shifted online due to its young demographic profile, high share of card/fintech payments and habit of mobile applications.

Channels: online betting and casino/live games, offline betting shops, arcade/vending machines with a limited bet, national lottery.

Scale drivers: a large density of sports fans (GAA, rugby, football, horse racing), a high level of smartphone penetration, media integration of sports and betting, developed fintech services.

💡 Editorial Note: Insert up-to-date estimates of GGY/gross gaming revenue, employment and taxes per 2023-2024/2024-2025 fin. years. If necessary, separate the key figures by online/offline.

2) Structure by segment

A) Sports betting (online + offline)

Traditionally the largest or one of the largest segments by GGY.

Strong retail (network bookmakers), while online takes the lion's share of the growth: live betting, one-touch betting, betting designers.

Seasonality: peak around major tournaments in GAA, Premier League, Champions League, rugby (Six Nations), horse racing (Cheltenham, Irish Derby, etc.).

B) The Lottery (Irish National Lottery)

Mass coverage, regular runs, scratches; high brand awareness.

To estimate the scale, calculate the share of the lottery in the total GGY and the average cost per adult resident per year.

C) Online casinos and live games

Rapid growth, reliance on mobile UX, slot providers and live studios.

Mechanics: Megaways, Hold & Spin, cluster payments; in live - roulette/blackjack/show formats.

D) Slot machines/arcades (offline)

Adjustable betting and prize limits; contribution to local employment and rent payments.

Traffic is sensitive to tourist flows and location (city centers, resort areas).

3) Economic importance: taxes, employment, multiples

Tax revenues. Includes wagering/gaming revenue taxes, corporation tax, chain VAT, license fees, responsible play fees.

Employment. Direct jobs (retail outlets, contact centers, trading, risk management, IT/product, marketing), indirect (media, sports law, logistics, events), induced (service sector).

Multipliers. Sponsorship of sports, media rights, partnerships with tournament events, development of fintech ecosystem and analytical competencies (data/ML).

💡 For dashboard: "Taxes and employment by segment" table with columns: Segment GGY Tax burden Direct jobs Indirect/induced.

4) Consumer behavior and attraction channels

Mobile anchor. Up to 70-85% of online activity - smartphones (rating for the editorial office; specify actual shares).

Content funnel. Sports News → Live App → Betting; in the casino - cross-sell from betting, shares around major events.

Payments. Cards, local fintech wallets, Apple/Google Pay; instant payments and instant verification (KYC) are growing.

Responsible play. High visibility of tools: deposit/time limits, reality check, self-exclusion, RG messages in advertising.

5) Key ecosystem players

Operators: international groups with Irish roots and global expansion; local bookmakers and online brands.

Content providers: leading slot studios, live studios, aggregators, fantasy and esports market providers.

Payment and KYC providers: identity verification, anti-fraud, transaction monitoring, sanctions lists.

Media and sports: broadcasters, online publications, GAA/rugby/football federations, horse racing organizers.

💡 Box: "Irish Champions of Global Scope" - International Revenue/Capitalisation of Profile Holdings Fast Facts (no sensitive figures - at share and direction level).

6) Regulatory framework and compliance (in context of scale)

Ireland is progressively strengthening the vertical of regulation: a single framework for online/offline, advertising standards, player protection, age verification, risk monitoring.

To assess scale, it is important to consider: a) tax and fee rates, b) advertising/sponsorship restrictions, c) platform and content specifications, d) self-exclusion registry and RG tools.

Strengthening regulations on average skews growth toward regulated operators, increasing revenue transparency and tax revenue stability.

7) Sports and cultural demand drivers

Sports: GAA (hurling and Gaelic football), rugby, football, horse racing - anchor events form the peak of traffic and betting.

Culture and seasonality: St Patrick's Day - cross-promotional, themed content (Irish slots, events), tourism/event economics.

Esports and fantasy: a niche but growing 18-34 audience layer that increases the share of mobile and micro-interactions.

8) Risks and sustainability of growth

Regulatory tightening: advertising limits, tone of creatives, clear placement of RG warnings - affect the cost of attraction (CAC) and marketing structure.

Macroeconomics: sensitivity to household income and inflation, competition for free spending.

Technological factors: antifraud/bot protection, AML/KYC compliance, data protection; fault-tolerant infrastructure and SLAs with content/payment providers.

Reputation and ESG: pressure on responsible play and sponsorship practices; smarter segmentation and frequency advertising caps.

9) Forecast to 2030: What the market will scale

Further migration to online, an increase in the share of live games and micromechanics in betting (same-game parlays, custom markets).

Data & AI: personalization of offers, real-time risk scoring, smart limits, harm prevention.

Payments and payments per minute: instant onboarding and payouts as standard.

Stricter compliance: the market will remain concentrated around licensed operators with strong infrastructure and transparent reporting.

Partnerships with sports: evolution from "logos on the form" to educational and RG content.

Editorial data block (templates for substituting actual numbers)

1. GGY by segment (last available year)

Bets (online): [insert €]

Bets (offline): [insert €]

Lottery: [insert €]

Online Casino/live: [insert €]

Arcade/Machines: [insert €]

Total GGY: [insert €]

2. Fiscal revenues

Betting/gaming revenue taxes: [€]

License fees/RG fees: [€]

Other (core taxes, chain VAT): [€]

3. Employment

Direct jobs: [number]

Indirect/induced: [number/estimate]

4. Player behaviour

Share of mobile traffic: [%, estimate/source]

Average check/ARPU by segment: [€]

Age cohorts: [18-24 / 25-34 / 35-44 / 45 +] -%

💡 Layout tips: add the infographic "Market in the palm of your hand" (pie by GGY segments) and the timeline "Strengthening regulation → increasing the share of licensed operators."

TL; DR for the reader

The Irish gambling market is small in population, but "dense" in monetization and technology. Growth brings online, sports betting and live casinos; the lottery remains massive. Tighter regulation combined with fintech innovation makes the sector more transparent and concentrated, and investments long-term sustainable, subject to the priority of responsible play.