Irland is one of the most liberal of all the nations when it comes to online gambling. The Irish internet gambling had just begun...
The Irish online gambling market and Online Gambling In Ireland - Gambling is deeply embedded in the culture of Ireland and all forms of betting and gambling are legitimate throughout the nation. In the year 2006 the Irish had spent about 3.6 Euros on gambling that was double the amount they had spent about five years ago.
This figure only includes offline gambling and so if we take online gambling into consideration the figure Is much higher. If you are fond of gambling you will find that all forms of gambling are enjoyed. The most common and popular forms of gambling can be enjoyed in the form of sports betting, bingo halls and private casino gaming establishments.
In the nation gambling, both offline and online was not regulated for many years till regulation began to crop up in 1956 under the Gaming and Lotteries Act. In fact, this Act had made casino gambling illegal in the nation but there were loopholes in the law that have permitted private and member only gambling clubs to emerge in their stead that filled up the gap due to the shortage of casinos.
There have been extensive talks to fix all the loopholes in the laws and regulations however no action has been taken in 2009.Online gambling is also legal in the nation. The nation is one of the most liberal of all the nations when it comes to online gambling. The Irish internet gambling had just begun a couple of years ago after it became legal in 2003. In 2004 the first online booking site came onto the scene. Online gambling in the nation has been slow to catch and it has been legalized only recently.
The Irish government has given licenses to effectively operate online gambling sites in the nation. There are several Irish sport books that have been still hosted offshore for the purposes of taxation. The government of Ireland does not collect tax on most gambling wins as it is collected on sports bets at a rate of 2%.
Ireland has now joined the league of other European nations who are seeking to license online gambling and betting in the nation. This move is making an attempt to bring in new regulations for operating online casinos and sports books. There are several offshore websites who successfully provided betting to the Irish under the prevailing gambling laws in the nation.
Like Spain, Ireland is also making an attempt to bring these laws under control and tax them as well. However currently Ireland is currently facing many financial problems in the nation and this has compelled them to pass some new sets of austerity measures to avoid the mistake that Greece made recently. The Irish law-makers and the government are not pre-occupied intensely with the reforms pertaining to both online and offline gambling. They were busier with the London Olympics and the Euro 2012 tournament that took place this year.
The laws for online and offline gambling are targeted to appease the International Monetary Fund and The European Central Bank. It is likely that these reforms are intended to take place in the early 2013 with new laws likely to be effective by 2014.
