How-to
How to check a betting app's licence, step by step
To check a betting app's licence, find the licensee name and licence number in the app, open the GRAI register, search for the licensee and match the number, licence type and dates. The walkthrough has five steps and the register was last updated on 20 October 2026. If you find no entry, do not deposit.
Editorial team · checked
What you need
- The betting app or the operator's website, open next to a browser.
- A note of the licensee name and licence number the operator shows.
- The register address: grai.ie/register/licence-register.
- A place to write down today's date.
The licence belongs to the operator, not to the app. The brand name in the store may differ from the licensee name on the register.
In short: you need a name, a number and a browser.
The five steps
- Find the licensee and number.
- Do: look in the app or on the operator's site, in the footer, the About section or the responsible gambling pages. A licensed operator must show a copy of its licence and the number on every online platform (s.110(1)(a)(ii), in force since 5 February 2026).
- Result: a company name and a number such as GRAI-NNNN-RB-26-NNNN.
- Typical error: copying the brand name instead of the company name.
- Open the register.
- Do: go to the GRAI licence register and choose the Business to Consumer filter. Read the "last updated" date on the page. On 6 November 2026 it listed 40 records and showed 20 October 2026.
- Result: a search box and a list of licensees.
- Typical error: using the old Revenue list, which is no longer proof of a licence.
- Find the entry.
- Do: search by licensee name, then by trading name if there is no hit. Open the licensee's card. The card loads by script, so use a browser.
- Result: the card of one licensee.
- Typical error: searching only the app name. See licensee and trading name.
- Match number, type and dates.
- Do: compare the card with what the operator shows: Licence Number, Licence Activity, Issue Date and Expiry Date. The type is RB (remote betting), RBI (remote betting intermediary) or IPB (in-person betting). A licence runs for 3 years.
- Result: every field agrees, or one does not.
- Typical error: accepting an IPB entry for an app that takes remote bets.
- Record the day.
- Do: write the date, the licensee and the number. Repeat the check before a deposit and when the app changes hands.
- Result: a dated note you can compare later.
- Typical error: treating one check as permanent.
In short: name, register, card, match, date.
What the card shows and what it leaves out
| Field | Use it to | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Licence Number | Match the number the operator shows | Checked on 7 November 2026 (format) |
| Licence Activity | Confirm RB, RBI or IPB | Checked on 7 November 2026 (format) |
| Issue Date, Expiry Date | See that the licence is in force | Entries Not checked |
| Trading Names | Link a brand to a licensee | Entries Not checked |
| Domain Names | Match a website | Empty for all 40 entries on 6 November 2026 |
| Premises | Find a shop address | Empty for all 40 entries on 6 November 2026 |
Because Domain Names is empty, the register cannot confirm a website. The number the operator shows is your link between the site and the register.
In short: the register ties a number to a licensee, not a website to a licence.
How long it takes
Our estimate, not measured: 5 to 10 minutes when the entry appears in the first search. Add time if you must try trading names.
You can also use the register download page at grai.ie/register/download. We did not download the file for this page.
In short: a few minutes, once per operator, repeated before you deposit.
If it did not work: three cases
- No entry under the brand or the licensee. Do not deposit. Try the trading name. If there is still nothing, treat the app as unlicensed for Ireland. Operating a betting service without a licence is an offence (s.67(1)).
- An entry exists but the number or type differs. Do not deposit. Ask the operator in writing which number is correct. Keep the reply.
- The operator shows no number at all. Treat that as a red flag and read what a licensed app must show. If the app looks like a copy, report it.
Whether the Act's "registration number" is the same as the register's "Licence Number" is not confirmed. Use the number the register and the operator both show.
In short: no match means no deposit.
How we checked, what changed, caveats
- How we checked: we took the register method, field names and counts from our research notes read on 6 November 2026. We opened no accounts. The wider licensing background has the dates.
- What changed: 7 November 2026, first version.
- Caveats: the register can lag and may hold typing errors. Entries are Not checked on this page; see the availability snapshot for the dated table.
- 18+ only. Free 24/7 support: 1800 936 725 · gamblingcare.ie.
In short: the method is dated; entries must be read afresh.
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