Ireland is tightening anti-money laundering controls across its betting and gaming sector as part of the country's first national AML strategy. Operators will have to return withdrawals to the same account that funded the deposit — a closed loop that makes transactions easier to trace and narrows the routes for moving criminal money through outside channels.
Machine-based casino clubs
Licensing conditions and the effectiveness of operators' AML procedures face closer examination, with machine-based casino clubs singled out for enhanced supervision. Firms that accept cryptocurrency get enhanced due diligence on the source of funds, and transfers must carry identifying data on both sender and receiver. That reaches payment providers as much as operators.
The strategy follows the national risk assessment of money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing for 2026. A separate section covers transparency of company ownership. Intelligence sharing widens between Garda, Revenue, Criminal Assets Bureau, the Central Bank of Ireland, government departments and financial institutions where laundering is suspected.
Simon Harris on the strategy
Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris called it the most serious strengthening of Ireland's AML system in years. 'It will give our law enforcement agencies stronger tools, improve intelligence sharing across the country, strengthen oversight of new risks and ensure Ireland meets the highest international standards,' he said. The launch, he added, sends a clear signal that Ireland will not be a safe place to launder criminal proceeds. The Central Bank of Ireland is separately examining how artificial intelligence affects AML, including its use in flagging suspicious activity and the risks attached to it.
