Which are the best betting sites in Ireland, and how do the main bookmakers compare?
Bookie Ledger compares betting sites that appear on the licence register of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI). Each site receives a Ledger score of up to 100 across five groups of published criteria. On 7 November 2026 this preview shows no scores, because the register entries and operator pages have not yet been checked.
The Ledger in four numbers
- 19published criteria, the same for every operator
- 37yes-or-no facts recorded per operator
- 5groups: licence, safer gambling, payments, markets, support
- 100points available in the Ledger score
Where the 100 points come from
The Ledger score adds up what an operator publishes, group by group. It does not measure odds or service quality. Weights are fixed in version 1.0 and shown beside every score.
- L20
- R25
- P20
- M20
- S15
- L
- Licence and transparency 3 criteria · 20 points
- R
- Safer-gambling controls 5 criteria · 25 points
- P
- Payments and withdrawals 4 criteria · 20 points
- M
- Markets and product 4 criteria · 20 points
- S
- Support and complaints 3 criteria · 15 points
What is the short answer?
No operator can be named as highest-scoring on 7 November 2026, because no score has been calculated yet. A winner without a published criterion would not be a fact.
The method comes first. A betting site is considered only if the GRAI register lists it. It is then scored on 19 criteria taken from its own public pages.
The score reflects what an operator publishes, not odds, speed of payment or service quality.
Bottom line: the order of the table is set by the published score, and the score does not exist until the checks are done.
Where should you start?
Three routes cover the questions that bring people here.
- Check a licence: where the register is, what a licence number looks like and what proves nothing.
- Compare: the ranking, the criterion rankings and the matrix.
- Understand the terms: odds formats, each-way, Rule 4 and how operators apply them.
The ranking page holds the full method for the Ledger score.
Bottom line: start with the licence check if you are unsure whether a site is allowed to take bets from Ireland.
What does the register show?
The research note of 6 November 2026 records the register state as follows.
- Last updated on the register: 20 October 2026.
- Business-to-consumer licensees: 40, holding 42 licences.
- Licence types: 37 remote betting (RB), 4 remote betting intermediary (RBI) and 1 in-person betting (IPB).
- Licence term: 3 years.
Remote betting licences are issued by GRAI from 1 July 2026. Licences for online casino, slots and poker are not yet available, so this site covers betting only.
These figures are rechecked on the day of publication.
Bottom line: the register is young and is updated irregularly, so every page shows the date it was checked.
How is the Ledger score built?
The score adds points for 19 criteria in five groups. The weights add up to 100 and are fixed in version 1.0.
| Group | Weight (points) | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| L Licence and transparency | 20 | Licence number shown, licensee named, terms with a version or date |
| R Safer-gambling controls | 25 | Deposit limits, time-out, self-exclusion, time reminders, link to Irish help |
| P Payments and withdrawals | 20 | Methods from a list of eight, withdrawal limits, processing time, fees |
| M Markets and product | 20 | Menu categories, in-play, streaming, cash out |
| S Support and complaints | 15 | Channels, opening hours, complaints route |
A criterion that is not published, or that could not be verified, scores 0. That is a statement of what the public page shows on the day, not a verdict on the service.
Bottom line: up to 100 points, five groups, published weights, recalculated from the same data on the date shown.
What does this site not do?
- It does not place bets, open accounts or test services.
- It does not publish odds, promo codes or bonus amounts.
- It does not describe any operator as approved or verified by GRAI. It writes that an entry is listed on the register on a given date.
- It carries no reader reviews and no named reviewers. Pages are signed by the editorial team.
There are no links marked Ad in this preview. When affiliate links are added, each will carry the Ad label, and the wording of the disclosure will be confirmed by the site owner first.
Bottom line: the site compares published information and nothing else.
Where to go next
- Operator profiles: what each profile covers and which brands are candidates.
- Data and tools: tables, change logs and calculators.
- Payments and withdrawals: deposit methods and what to know before asking for money back.
- Sports and markets: how the menu categories are compared.
Bottom line: each hub lists only pages that exist and states what has not been checked.
How a row gets into the matrix
Start at the register
A site is compared only if it appears on the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland licence register.
Same criteria for all
The same 19 items are read from each operator's public pages. We did not place bets or open accounts.
A source and a date
Every cell in the matrix shows the page it came from and the day we checked it.
Recalculate in the open
The score uses published weights and is recalculated from the same data on the date shown.
Start from your situation
Where to go next
- Compare betting sites licensed in Ireland, criterion by criterion
- Is this betting site licensed in Ireland? Start here
- Betting terms and conditions explained
- Betting operators on our matrix, A to Z
- Data tables, change logs and calculators
- GRAI-licensed betting sites in Ireland, ranked by our published score
Licence first, comparison second.
Every row has a date and a source. Start with the register, then read the matrix.