SBC News

The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) has highlighted some of its biggest achievements under its historical first mandate.

In the pursuit of a gambling regulatory system on par with modern European standards, the Irish government introduced GRAI at the end of last year, with the regulator beginning to take charge of the market in March 2025.

Under CEO Anne Marie Caulfield’s leadership, GRAI’s main responsibilities revolve around the supervision of licensing, gambling laws, self-exclusion and player protection initiatives.

Only seven months after its official launch, the regulatory body has already achieved some significant progress in the areas outlined above.

For one, a close collaboration with the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) resulted in an evidence-based conclusion that gambling inducements – even “bad” ones below market rates – can lead to increased gambling rates, especially among those at most risk.

This will likely inform regulatory developments moving forward, with the GRAI potentially moving to clamp down on promotions like bonuses in Ireland’s new-look gambling market.

Meanwhile, having a specialised gambling regulator in place has also allowed for a more focused approach towards problem gambling research.

In conjunction with Pobal – Ireland’s body responsible for EU funding allocation, GRAI conducted the country’s first nation-wide ‘Call for Input’ initiative which assessed the amount of money needed for the creation of a Social Impact Fund that would deliver a meaningful impact in tackling gambling harm.

Furthermore, banks have also become more involved with cutting down problem gambling rates with the help of the regulator and the launch of the Common Commitment of Care for Problem Gambling project.

Operator compliance with the regulatory framework will also come under scrutiny as soon as GRAI begins its licensing duties, with the regulator’s Compliance and Enforcement teams getting ready to work closely together and bridge any gaps when it comes to legal breaches.

The step-by-step licensing guide has also been already published on GRAI’s website thanks to a thorough consultation process and detailed stakeholder feedback. Licence applications will run through a newly-set online portal built with the help of Deloitte, who has also played a core role in the implementation of Ireland’s first National Gambling Exclusion Register.

Caulfield commented: “The Authority is currently finalising the Statement of Strategy 2025 – 2027, which sets out the roadmap to delivering a modern, fair, and trusted regulatory regime that reflects the constantly evolving nature of gambling and the expectations of the Irish public.

“We look forward to sharing our Statement of Strategy with our stakeholders when it is finalised in the coming weeks.”

Children’s digital safety is gradually becoming a top concern for many European countries, with Romania being the latest to consider stringent controls.

Similarly to France, where regulations to limit under-15s access to social media have been in place since July 2023, lawmakers in Romania are considering the roll out of mandatory age checks for children up to 16 years of age, potentially even outright banning social networks for that age group.

The goal is to protect minors from content that is considered sexual or violent in nature, as well as to reduce the rates of online bullying and harassment which has become almost a given among digital youth circles.

Concerns, however, have also spilled over to gambling, with online monitoring reformists also bundling up advertising restrictions into their demands.

Save the Children, an NGO leading the online minor protections debate, has been quite outspoken against what it sees as a proliferation of child gamblers in Romania.

Data presented by the organisation shows that 48.3% of children spend more than six hours a day online. A separate Save the Children data set showcased that 14% of surveyed children have gambled at least once in their lifetime, while 40% admitted to knowing a peer who has gambled.

In light of the results, Gabriela Alexandrescu, President of Save the Children Romania, said: “We must be aware of the real risks of gambling addiction and the destructive pathological behaviors it generates.

“It is imperative to completely eliminate gambling advertising, limit the spaces dedicated to these activities, and even prohibit gambling for people under 21.”

These concerns were also shared by a number of politicians, including MP Raluca Turcan, who added: “Gambling advertisements must not invade children’s space. It is vital to ban not only gaming halls, but also billboards and advertisements near schools, parks, playgrounds, campuses, hospitals or churches.”

Political pressure to clamp down on gambling has been gradually increasing since the start of the year as a result of the major hiccup that the national regulator, ONJN, went over in February, when an audit found €900m of missing taxes.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs of Spain demands that all online gambling licensees must now display public warning messages about gambling harms across products and platforms.

Announced by Pablo Bustinduy, Minister of Social Rights, Consumption, and the 2030 Agenda (MAS), the warnings will be mandated through Royal Decree 958/2020. Applied since 2020, the Decree enacts the federal mandate of Spain’s blanket ban on gambling advertising and sports sponsorships.

Similar to messages carried on tobacco products, online gaming operators will be required to include three slogans on their websites, apps and digital advertising.

These are: “Gambling addiction is a risk of gambling”, “the probability of being a losing gambler is 75%” and “losses for all gamblers are four times greater than their winnings”.

According to Bustinduy, the objective of the change is to replace generic messages, such as “play responsibly”, with direct warnings based on “real data” about risk.

“The responsibility should not fall on the users but on the authorities, who have the democratic duty to ensure that the environments they access are safe,” Bustinduy stated during a Safe Gaming event, organised by the Ministry.

The implementation is being facilitated through a new resolution and two annexes that the DGOJ, Spain’s gaming regulator, is scheduled to release for public information in the coming days.

The messages must be displayed clearly by operators on banners, advertising videos and login screens for gaming platforms.

Spain widens gambling controls

The warning messages sit alongside wider gaming reform in Spain, designed to boost player protection measures.

At the MAS-led event, Bustinduy referred to the Customer Service Law, which is currently being processed in Congress and would reinstate the regulation of gambling advertising and prevent the use of celebrities in advertising campaigns or welcome bonuses aimed specifically at young audiences.

Prior to April 2024, welcome bonuses were completely banned by Royal Decree 9587/2000. However, after being reinstated, they have been linked to a significant surge in iGaming activity.

Data published by the MAS revealed that the number of online players increased by 21.36% last year and the number of accounts by 23.48%.

This led to Bustinduy leading calls for an amendment to ban promotional incentives once more.

In addition, the DGOJ confirmed its intentions to move forward with plans to establish a centralised deposit limit system for players, set at €600 per day, €1,500 per week and €3,000 per month.

Currently, operators are required to manage limits independently.

The regulator is also working on the development of a mandatory AI-led responsible gambling algorithm that aims to trace live variable indicators of problem gambling risks.

EGBA hails approval of standards of harm policy

While Spain forges ahead with significant changes, the European Gaming & Betting Association has welcomed the approval of a draft European standard on markets of harm in the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN).

According to the trade body, an “overwhelming majority” of national standardisation bodies voted in favour of the policy.

“The positive outcome of this vote is a real testament to the power of collaboration across our sector,” commented Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of the EGBA.

“When EGBA first proposed this initiative to CEN, we envisioned creating a commonly agreed standard that would benefit players across Europe. We’re delighted with the support the standard has received, and I want to personally thank all the stakeholders who participated in this process. The result shows what happens when we work together to strengthen player protection.”

The EGBA has worked with experts across Europe, including academics, gambling regulators, operators and harm prevention professionals, to develop the policy which seeks to set out a widely-recognised standard for markers of gambling harm.

These include behavioural indicators such as shifts in speed and the time and duration of play, which can signal risky or problematic activity.

Though an important milestone, the standard must now go through the formal CEN finalisation process before it will be published.