Sectors · Horse racing
Horse racing in Ireland: the sport, the bodies, and how betting is regulated.
Racing is the oldest thread in Irish gambling — and the most tangled to explain, because three different bodies touch it. Here's who governs the sport, who regulates the betting, and how it all fits under the new GRAI framework.
A 2,000-year head start
Ireland holds one of the oldest recorded gambling histories in the world. Written accounts describe chariot racing and wagering on the plains of the Curragh in County Kildare during the reign of the High King Conaire Mór — placed somewhere between roughly 110 BC and 60 AD. The Curragh is still a working racecourse today, making it one of the longest continuously used sporting venues on earth. The bookmaker remains as much a fixture of Irish life as the pub, and racing anchors the calendar from Punchestown and Fairyhouse to Galway and Leopardstown.
Who governs the sport
| Body | Role | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) | The semi-state commercial and administrative body for the industry — funding, fixtures, promotion, prize money and development. Established under the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001. | Statutory (semi-state) |
| Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) | The independent, all-island regulator of the sport: makes and enforces the Rules of Racing, licenses participants, runs anti-doping and handicapping, and provides raceday stewards and officials. Established in 2018, taking over from the Turf Club and the INHSC. | Independent regulatory body (funded by HRI) |
| GRAI | Regulates the betting on racing — the bookmakers and betting platforms — not the sport itself. | Gambling Regulation Act 2024 |
The IHRB oversees roughly 500 fixtures a year across all 32 counties in Flat, National Hunt and Point-to-Point racing, with tens of thousands of runners. The industry supports over 30,000 jobs and contributes an estimated €2.46 billion to the economy.
How betting on racing is regulated
Betting on horse racing — on-course, in shops, and online — falls under the GRAI's betting licence categories, the same framework covering other sports betting:
- Remote (online) betting — GRAI licences began issuing on 1 July 2026. Online operators taking bets on Irish racing from Irish customers need one.
- In-person betting — high-street and on-course bookmakers transition to GRAI licences from 1 December 2026, moving off the old Revenue Commissioner permission system.
- On-course bookmakers — the rails bookies at the track operate as betting licensees under the same regime.
To check whether a racing bookmaker or betting site is properly licensed, use the same method as for any operator — see how to check a licence. For the operator directory, see online operators.
Primary sources
- Horse Racing Ireland (hri.ie) — industry body, fixtures and funding.
- Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (ihrb.ie) — Rules of Racing, licensing and integrity.
- GRAI (grai.ie) — betting licences and enforcement.