Ireland sees surge in mobile casino use

11 November 2026

The smartphone boom has spurred a wave of growth in mobile casino gambling in Ireland, highlighting the country's welcoming stance towards online gambling at a time when other European nations tighten their limits. In 2024, 93% of Irish adults owned a smartphone, with 65% of users placing bets through their mobile phones, and smartphones and tablets accounting for 44% of all online bets, a figure projected to reach 60% by 2025.

This trend is driven partly by the convenience and portability of smartphone gaming. Out of 14.4% of Ireland’s population who gambled online in 2024:

• Majority of online casino sessions take place on smartphones and tablets
• 80% have multiple online gambling accounts
• Registry of online casinos grew by 38% from the previous year

Feedback from players refers to mobile sites and apps as simple and convenient. Online casino players can access games from a smartphone, tablet, or laptop while commuting, at home, or travelling. The potential effects of this are twofold. First, as Ireland embraces online betting in parallel with the European trend, a stimulating loop emerges: more growth driving more regulation aiming to further growth.

The timing is right: one recent report by the 2024 Gambling Market Analysis provides a clear snapshot of this increasingly vital industry. It calculated that online casino games, slots and scratchcards would contribute 700 million euros to the 1.2 to 1.3 billion euro gross gaming revenue the online gambling market is projected to amass by the end of 2025, representing 20.5% of the total. Further, as new platforms enter the market, the industry continues to expand.

As mobile adoption has helped expand online gaming, Ireland's approach has driven mobile games forward at a steady pace. A 2026 market report for Gamereactor EU referred to mobile gambling as a "revolution" that is transforming traditional slot machine play, giving mobile users access to all popular casino games, plus exclusive ones, all through apps developed outside traditional publishing cycles.

This is supported by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), established under the 2024 Gambling Regulatory Act. While online gambling regulation existed in a limited fashion before, the law legitimises much of what was practiced in a grey area, and outlines a licensing regime of corporate bonds and fiscal responsibility that helps Irish online players feel secure, reinforcing their position in the global market.

With 1.2 to 1.3 billion in projected revenue for 2025, the industry has taken much of the mystery out of online gambling's role as a leading tech platform today, but its evolution continues. The sector should be viewed as a tech-driven frontier like autonomous vehicles: a space where competition, security, and regulation are being shaped by the powerful momentum of mobile device adoption, now representing hundreds of millions in economic activity.