Ireland is considering a betting tax increase as part of its 2027 budget. Operators currently pay 2% on turnover for both online and retail betting. Pool betting is taxed at 1%, and that rate is expected to rise to 2% when the budget is announced. The exact size of the new betting duty has not been disclosed, but the industry is already pushing back.
According to Racing Post and Irish media, the tax increase is one way to cover €7 billion in state spending and €1.5 billion in tax breaks built into the budget.
Operators are repeating an argument familiar from the UK, the Netherlands and Brazil: higher taxes push traffic to the black market. Anthony Kaminskas, founder of Dublin-based AK BETS, called the current duty 'punitive'. He said an increase would leave licensed bookmakers three options: drop sports betting and keep only casino, offer uncompetitive odds, or pass the tax to customers — for example, a €100 bet would cost €105. All of that, he argued, would hand sports betting to unlicensed sites.
The Irish Bookmakers Association has warned of shop closures and job losses. The trade body claims that after the duty doubled from 1% to 2% in 2019, 222 shops closed and around 1,000 jobs were lost. That may also reflect the wider shift online.
In a letter to finance minister Simon Harris, the IBA said every additional euro of tax would be offset by operators cutting odds, while unlicensed sites pay nothing and offer no player protection.
Not everyone opposes a rise. Stewart Kenny, co-founder of Paddy Power (now Flutter Entertainment), backs a 40% GGR tax on online betting and casino, The Irish Times reported.
The debate comes as the new regulator GRAI launches and the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 takes effect.
