The GRAI reports the Bank of Ireland joins Revolut, AIB, and EBS to offer gambling blocking tools. We look at the latest trends on this topic.
The latest bank to inform the Irish government that it will offer customers the option to block payments to gambling companies is the Bank of Ireland.
It is a significant move that gambling protection protagonists in the country will warmly welcome as it is another rock in their mission to help prevent Irish citizens from the pitfalls associated with gambling, such as addiction.
The Bank of Ireland (BOI) is one of the oldest and largest commercial banks in Ireland, and it plays a central role in the country’s financial system. Founded in 1983, it is one of the longest-running banks in the country.
Other financial institutions already announcing that they are also offering a gambling blocking facility include Revolut, AIB (Allied Irish Banks plc), and Educational Building Society (EBS).
The primary retail banks in Ireland include AIB and BOI. At the same time, Permanent TSB (PTSB) is another big player, so two out of three of the largest banking establishments have already implemented the gambling block option.
Other banks like PTSB are expected to follow suit with announcements likely to come sometime in 2025. In addition to traditional banks like AIB, BOI, and PTSB, digital banking platforms have gained significant traction.
According to a Minister Chambers Consumer Sentiment Banking Survey, there is a growing adoption of digital banking services, with 39% of consumers using fintech providers like Revolut and Wise. Revolut, for example, has approximately 2.7 million users in Ireland, and the online app service already provides its Irish customers with a gambling block tool.
What has triggered Irish banks to offer a gambling blocking facility
The Republic of Ireland is stepping up its gambling protection agenda with its new Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) officially opening in April 2025.
As per the report published on the GRAI.ie news columns, “The Gambling Regulator has had engagement with the Irish Banking Culture Board, Irish Banking and Payments Federation and individual banks over the past number of months to encourage as many banking groups as possible to try and implement this facility as a consumer protection measure for their customers suffering from gambling harm or wanting to take a break from gambling”.
GRAI steps up its efforts to create a safer gambling environment
On top of this, the report has also highlighted the GRAI’s effort to reduce the Irish population’s exposure to gambling through reduced advertising measures.
Furthermore, the GRAI is in the process of designing a National Gambling Exclusion Register. IT is similar to the UK’s GAMSTOP system, whereby when a player self-excludes from an online gambling site, that self-exclusion will propagate to other gambling sites.
The idea of a national gambling exclusion register is to ensure that casino players and sports bettors who have self-excluded cannot sign up for another gambling site while their exclusion period is in effect. Also, it means players who are members of multiple online casinos are unable to play for real money on other platforms.
We also reported recently that a Social Impact Levy will come into action for any gambling companies that apply for the new GRAI licensing certificate to offer gambling services to Irish citizens.
When will the GRAI licensing certificates become available?
The golden question everyone is still asking is when the GRAI will begin to offer formal licensing certificates for online casinos to operate under Irish gambling laws.
For now, there is no set date, and judging by comments made by GRAI spokespeople, it doesn’t seem to us here at Casinoplusbonus that there is a rush to bring licensing to the table. We guess that the GRAI officials want to take a slowly and surely approach to ensure a smooth transition into regulated domestic gambling oversight.
With that said, Matthew O’Connor, our Irish gambling expert, reported on 12 April 2025 that the licensing process is already underway via his news piece – Ireland GRAI Opens Public Consultations for Licensing Regulations.
Those consultations closed on 5 May 2025, but there has been no firm announcement, especially on the GRAI website, to say what’s coming next as a result of the consultation. That comes as no surprise to me as it will take time to process what the GRAI learned from the consultations.
Also, if the timelines from consultations to taking action and implanting new changes that came as a result of the UK Gambling Authority’s White Paper changes are anything to go by, it could take months as well as further consultations before we have a firm date on when the GRAI will open for Irish online gambling entertainment licensing applications.
To keep your finger on the pulse, stay up to date with the latest Irish gambling news via our homepage or via our main Irish Gambling guide, which has a dedicated news section.
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