Tax: What is the tax take?

he only forms of gambling regulated in the Republic of Ireland are betting and lottery games. Lottery games are broadly subject to a private monopoly under the terms of the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956. The Act states that a single licence can be awarded to the operator of the National Lottery, but there is no provision prescribing a fixed fee due from an applicant for this licence. It is possible in limited circumstances to hold other types of small lottery, though no provisions for fees in gaining a licence or permit to operate such lotteries exist. ## Application fees Old Laws: Operators seeking to offer online betting services must obtain a Remote Bookmaker’s Licence. A fee of €5,000 will be due for a first-time applicant, ## Under New Law: Gambling Regulations Act 2024 All application fees depending on whether they are for land based or online licenses are tiered according to expected turnover, see: https://grai-cms-production-bucket.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/cms-media/application-fees-guidance.pdf ## Ongoing fees Renewal fees are calculated based on the operator’s annual turnover. For more detailed information on such fees, please see the Betting fees section. ## Licence Taxes Remote Betting duty is the only gambling-specific tax which operators may be subject to in Ireland. Betting duty is levied at a rate of 2% on wagers staked and will apply to operators offering betting services online or in land-based establishments. Given that betting duty is levied on stakes, tax obligations expressed in reference to operators’ gross gambling yield will be significantly higher. Remote Betting Intermediary Duty: 25% on the commission earned. Non-resident traders, providing remote betting services to persons in the State, and who are not registered for tax in Ireland, must be registered for Betting Duty/Betting Intermediary Duty by completing Form TR (BET). Completed forms TR (BET) should be submitted by email to: BusinessTaxesRegistrations@revenue.ie. On receipt of a properly completed TR (BET), Revenue will register the applicant for Betting Duty/Betting Intermediary Duty and allocate a registration number. ## Sales Taxes - Betting - 2% Remote Betting Duty on total stakes turnover but no VAT - Casino - No Gaming duty but VAT at a rate of 23% on "retained stakes" (GGY) for e-gaming ## Corporate taxes A key attraction for establishing a business in Ireland is the low rates of corporation tax, levied at 12.5% on profits generated. However, since December 2023, Ireland has now adopted a two-pillar approach to corporate tax in line with OECD standards. In practice, this means that 12.5% corporate tax will continue to apply to businesses with revenues less than EUR750 million and companies whose annual revenue exceeds this, will pay the global minimum of 15%. In practice, foreign multinational companies may pay significantly lower than the headline 12.5% rate via base erosion and profit shifting tools provided for in Irish tax law. Of note, the Irish government makes available to companies with operations in Ireland a tax credit of 25% for expenditure on research and development, whether such research and development activities are carried out in Ireland itself or in any other EEA state. Where a company does not pay sufficient corporation tax to use its full research and development tax credit, it may be rolled over indefinitely to be applied to subsequent tax years, carried back to apply to the previous year, or surrendered to the Irish tax authorities for cash payment. Subject to certain conditions, the research and development tax credit can be transferred to key employees involved in such activity to offset their income tax liabilities. Bingo: No gambling specific taxes apply to bingo services. Bingo tickets will not be subject to VAT. View Bingo Taxes in Ireland (Republic) Lottery: No gambling specific taxes apply to lottery services. Lottery tickets will not be subject to VAT. View Lottery Taxes in Ireland (Republic) Poker: The provision of facilities for playing online poker for money to players domiciled in Ireland is not licensable and operators offering such facilities accessed by Irish players will be participants in a grey market. However, some such operators have been required to pay VAT on the stakes wagered by such players in Ireland. No other gambling duties will apply. The VAT rate for such services in Ireland is currently 23%. Skill games: The provision of skilled games played for money online to players domiciled in Ireland is not licensable and operators offering such services will be participants in a grey market. However, some such grey market participants have previously been required to pay VAT on the stakes wagered by players in Ireland. This has particularly been the case where the relevant operator has additionally held a Remote Bookmaker’s Licence to provide online betting services. No other gambling duties will apply in respect of skilled games. The VAT rate in Ireland is currently 23%. View Skilled Games Taxes in Ireland (Republic) Software/B2B: No specific gambling-related taxes are levied on gambling software or other B2B service providers. Such businesses will be expected to pay VAT on sales made of their services and products, which is currently calculated at 23%. View Software / B2B Taxes in Ireland (Republic)