Gambling law in Northern Ireland

This site covers gambling in Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland is part of the UK but has its own gambling law, its own licensing bodies and, so far, no law written specifically for online gambling. This guide explains who regulates what in Northern Ireland, where the Gambling Commission fits in, and where to get help.

The law that applies

The Department for Communities (opens in a new tab) (DfC) says gambling in Northern Ireland, other than the National Lottery, is regulated under the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (NI) Order 1985, as amended by the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022. The Order covers:

• betting in bookmaking offices and on tracks
• the use, supply and maintenance of gaming machines
• gaming in bingo clubs
• small-scale amusements with prizes
• lotteries other than the National Lottery.

The Gambling Commission (opens in a new tab) notes that when the Order came into force, gambling in Northern Ireland was limited to land-based gambling, before online gambling emerged. Any reform of the Order is a matter for the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Who licenses and enforces

A Northern Ireland Assembly research briefing (opens in a new tab) (January 2025) explains that, unlike Great Britain, Northern Ireland has no single independent gambling regulator. Instead:

• the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service grants, renews and revokes land-based bookmakers’ licences, bingo club licences and gaming machine certificates
• district councils register society lotteries
• the Department for Communities grants track betting licences, which last seven years unless cancelled or revoked
• the Police Service of Northern Ireland enforces the law, and the courts decide whether offences have been committed and the penalties.

What changed in 2023

DfC says three provisions of the 2022 Act came into effect on 1 October 2023:

• Section 7: a new offence of inviting, causing or permitting someone under 18 to play a gaming machine other than a lower-limit machine.
• Section 13: a revised definition of cheating, making it an offence to cheat at gambling or to help someone else cheat.
• Section 16: a power for DfC to issue codes of practice on how gambling facilities are provided. DfC consulted on an initial gambling code of practice in October 2024.

Where the Gambling Commission fits in

The Commission says its jurisdiction under the Gambling Act 2005 covers Great Britain. Gambling is a devolved matter, so it has no powers to investigate or prosecute in Northern Ireland and no role in regulating land-based gambling there, apart from the National Lottery, which it regulates across the whole UK.

On online gambling, the Commission says remote operators that have key equipment in Great Britain and offer gambling in Northern Ireland, or advertise there, must hold a Commission licence. But it does not regulate that gambling activity and has no powers of prosecution in Northern Ireland. An operator’s behaviour in Northern Ireland can still inform the Commission’s view of whether it is suitable to hold a GB licence.

The Assembly research briefing adds that the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014 makes it an offence to advertise remote gambling in Northern Ireland without a remote operating licence and compliance with the Commission’s licence conditions and codes. It also notes the Commission’s arrangement with payment processors such as Visa and Mastercard, which have agreed to voluntarily block transactions between UK consumers and unlicensed gambling sites.

Online gambling: no specific Northern Ireland law yet

The Assembly briefing says that without Northern Ireland legislation on online gambling, there are no Northern Ireland-specific licensing or regulatory measures for remote operators. DfC describes a two-phase review announced in May 2021: the first phase produced the 2022 Act; the second was proposed as a wider reform to regulate online gambling. The Assembly dissolved in March 2022, and DfC says any decision to take reform further is for an incoming Minister and Executive. The January 2025 briefing states that the second stage will not happen in the current mandate.

Advertising, complaints and disputes

• Advertising: the Commission says the Advertising Standards Authority regulates advertising across the UK, including Northern Ireland, and considers complaints about all forms of gambling advertising there. You can complain to the ASA directly.
• Complaints about an online operator: the Commission says to complain to the business first, using its published process, and to check its website for any alternative dispute resolution service. The Commission does not resolve individual complaints in Great Britain or Northern Ireland.
• Which licence applies: gambling businesses often hold licences in several jurisdictions, so the Commission advises checking the business’s website for which licence is relevant and which complaints procedure to use.
• Concerns about a Commission licensee: you can report a licence holder’s conduct to the Commission.

How many people gamble in Northern Ireland

DfC’s 2024 Gambling Prevalence Survey (opens in a new tab) (published 30 April 2025, based on interviews with 2,000 people aged 16 and over) found that:

• 57% of adults had gambled in the last 12 months, down from 80% in 2010 and 67% in 2016
• 47% had gambled in person and 23% online; online gambling was up from 11% in 2016
• National Lottery draw tickets were the most popular type, bought by 35% of adults
• 3% were classed as problem gamblers on the Problem Gambling Severity Index, with a further 5% at moderate risk and 5% at low risk.

Getting help in Northern Ireland

nidirect (opens in a new tab) suggests seeing your GP, who may be able to direct you to suitable services, and lists:

• Dunlewey Addiction Services: free on 08000 886 725
• Extern: free on 0753 7188 575
• gambling support: free on 0808 8020 133
• Gamblers Anonymous, Northlands, and Cuan Mhuire addiction treatment and residential rehabilitation (028 3084 9010).

nidirect also describes self-exclusion, site-blocking software and bank gambling blocks as tools to help, and points to MoneyHelper for help with gambling and debt. Citizens Advice says its own gambling advice does not cover Northern Ireland and points to Advice NI for debt help.

What this means for our guides

Our reviews and other guides describe the rules in Great Britain. If you live in Northern Ireland, do not assume a GB rule applies to you in the same way: as the Commission advises, check the operator’s website for which licence covers you and which complaints process to use. If someone else’s gambling is affecting you, see worried about someone else’s gambling; for the GB rules, start with UK gambling licensing explained.