What do you think of when you hear the name Ireland? Green hills, shamrocks, the Blarney Stone? When you think about the Irish economy, there is likely one thing that springs to mind: farming and agriculture. You may be surprised to find that a lot of Ireland’s economy is dependent on online gambling - in fact, the industry is worth a massive €4.57 billion! With that being said, let’s take a look at online gambling in Ireland and why it has become so popular.
Gambling in Ireland
It’s a fact that gambling is extremely popular in Ireland. What else makes the Irish happy besides a good bet? A little friendly competition to see who will win more. No wonder that in 2020 the Irish Chronicle newspaper published impressive numbers, according to which in 2019 Irish people gambled €9.8 billion. Furthermore, according to a survey, almost half of adults have played at a casino in the past 12 months. The Irish seem to be embracing the online gambling culture. Let’s look at why it’s so popular.
Table Games
As they say, a classic is a classic for a reason, so it’s no surprise that table games are among favourites for the Irish. Craps, baccarat, poker, blackjack, and roulette are offered by most Irish casinos and there are plenty of variants to keep things fresh.
Live Casino
Live casino enables customers to play online with real people and dealers to make their experience more exciting. The best online casinos offer game shows as well as live versions of the table games. Technological advancements and virtual reality make live casino offerings even more intriguing.
Slot Machines
For those more into slot machines, lots of the more well-known casinos offer thousands of games across a wide spectrum of genres, styles, and themes. You can play everything from classic three-reel slots about ancient Egypt to progressive jackpots based on your favourite Hollywood films. Game inventors are quite creative, and you might see some weird and wonderful slot game offerings. Let’s see which are the five most popular among the Irish:
• Leprechaun Goes Egypt
• Finn and the Swirly Spin
• Racetrack Riches Megaboard
• Slots O’ Gold
• Rainbow Riches: Leprechauns Gold
Best Online Casinos in Ireland
We have already discussed which are the most popular online casino games in Ireland. Now let’s take a look at some of the Best online casinos in Ireland.
Casinoly
For the Irish, it’s probably one of the best online casinos as it offers you the opportunity to play live game shows and live versions of poker, blackjack, roulette, and baccarat. It is also possible to bet on some of Ireland’s most popular sports. Casinoly online casino is accessible from all devices. This means you don’t need to download any additional software to play.
GunsBet
They call GunsBet the online casino that brings the Wild West to life. GunsBet has over 2,500 games in its catalogue. And if you’re into sports betting, here you can choose from over 26 categories. There is an open aspiration for the casino to establish itself in the global market and it is now available in over 20 languages.
Mr Mega
Mr Mega’s catalogue features four main game categories: a casino with over 1000 games, a live casino with 120 table game options, virtual sports with three options, and sports with 32 subcategories. In addition, you can play almost 300 of the latest casino games from the best providers in the industry.
arcanebet
If in other casinos the variety of games still seemed small to you, arcanebet has 3000 options to choose from, divided into two sections: Casino and Live Casino. Since the website is written in HTML5, you can also play at arcanebet from any kind of device.
Whamoo Casino
Whamoo cannot boast of such a wide variety of species as other online casinos. But on the other hand, it has in its selection 800 games that you would hardly find anywhere else. Whamoo also has 56 live casino options, including game shows and different variations of table games.
Popular Irish Payment Methods
If you’re playing an online casino, it’s a good idea to be familiar with the most common payment methods in Ireland. Don’t worry, there are plenty of options and you have the freedom to choose.
Bank Transfer
Bank transfer is one of the most preferred methods. Thankfully, you don’t need to go to the bank; you can make the payment through online banking.
Card Payment
Paying by debit card is another popular option. VISA or MasterCard are two major examples of this.
E-Wallet
You can also use your e-wallet. Whether you prefer Skrill, Neteller, or PayPal, it doesn’t matter. Payment is possible through all.
Cryptocurrency
It is undoubtedly the most innovative payment method. No matter how amazing it sounds, Irish people use it and pay with their Bitcoins or Ethereum to play.
Irish Gambling Laws
The industry in Ireland is regulated by the Totalisator Act of 1929. You may be curious to know that gambling was only legalized in 1956. Ireland is not the country with the strictest rules about gambling in the world, but it still has a few restrictions. The good news is that online casinos are perfectly legal and unlike in some other countries, casino winnings are not taxed.
So, now when you hear Ireland, what do you imagine? As much as you may still be picturing the green hills and the shamrock, the luck of the Irish may have taken on a different meaning to you now.