Newly-formed GRAI signs Memorandum of Understanding with UK Gambling Commission

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The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) and the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreeing to “broad principles of collaboration” between the two parties.

The agreement was signed after a meeting between the UKGC CEO, Andrew Rhodes, and GRAI CEO, Anne Marie Caulfield, in Dublin, last week. 

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The newly formed GRAI has said it will be signing MoUs with other gambling jurisdictions across the EU in the coming months.

The GRAI was only formed in March as a requirement of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024. The Act itself replaced the archaic Betting Act of 1931 to bring Ireland’s gambling regulations up to date, especially with an eye on the increased prevalence of online gambling and its links to problem gambling. 

The Government chose senior civil servant Anne Marie Caulfield to head the new commission. Caulfield previously worked as the head of the Residential Tenancies Board for eight years and was also involved in the EU Cohesion policy negotiations as well as heading the Capability Review Programme. Caulfield has been joined by Paul Quinn as chair. 

At the time of the formation, justice minister Jim O’Callaghan said: “Today marks a new era for the regulation of gambling in the Irish State. 

“The establishment of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland is a further step towards replacing Ireland’s outdated gambling laws with a streamlined and simplified licensing framework.”

On the announcement of Caulfield’s appointment, she said: “I look forward to fulfilling our mandate and delivering a safe, well-regulated, and transparent sector, with consumer protection at its core.”

The UKGC was formed in 2007, in response to the Gambling Act 2005. It oversees all gambling operations in the UK, including those of the National Lottery. 

The UK is considered to have one of the most open and advanced regulatory frameworks in Europe. Until recently, it had the single largest national online gambling industry, with estimated revenue of more than £10bn a year, although the US’s continued regulatory changes mean that it has overtaken the UK.

The agreement between the UKGC and GRAI will see the two groups sharing information on and about licensees and companies within their respective jurisdictions.

Caulfield said: “Ireland and the UK share many of the same operators and gambling practices, so putting this agreement in place will enhance our ability to share information and discharge our respective regulatory responsibilities effectively. 

“Open dialogue and close cooperation between both jurisdictions is paramount and I greatly look forward to continuing this close cooperation for the years to come.”

Unlike the UK, Ireland is part of the EU. Although the bloc has overarching gambling guidelines, each country is free to set its own gambling laws and has its own gambling authorities. The GRAI is set to tap into these markets for further collusion. 

An official statement on the GRAI website states: “This is the first of a series of MOUs which the GRAI intends to put in place with other gambling regulators across the EU in the months ahead.”