British and Irish gamblers - What's the difference?
The United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland share a lot in common. You have similar pubs, closely related food, and many more. With these vast similarities, it becomes difficult sometimes to tell the Irish from the British. Well, we know they differ, especially in how they gamble.
For starters, we know the UK does more of Bingo, bookmarkers, and online gambling. Ireland, on the other hand, is the world's capital for horse racing, Gaelic football, shinty, and Rugby Racing. At the same time, when you check the best Irish casino sites reviewed by HEX team, you will find out they are doing well in online gambling. For anyone to assume that these two countries do not gamble will be very erroneous.
In this article, we'll examine gambling in both nations, and we'll see how they differ.
Laws and General Acceptance of Gambling
The regulations that apply to gambling in a country tells a lot about the freedom casinos have to undertake their businesses. When it comes to gambling, the regulations in the UK and Ireland differ.
The government of Ireland appears to have strict laws, penalties, and opposition to gambling. By law, land casinos are illegal in Ireland, unlike in the UK, where they are allowed. However, due to some loopholes in these laws, several betting establishments are available around the country.
While these laws from 1956 bans gambling establishments from accepting the general public, private clubs give betting machines and tables to their members. With these loopholes, the Irish people have developed private gambling clubs around the country.
There are land-based casinos in Ireland with poker rooms, slot machines, and blackjack tables in practical terms. However, they all must have their visitors registered as members to operate under the law's confines. With free registration, it is evident that the system was designed to allow legality. As part of legality, the visitors must be 18 years and older, and interestingly, some casinos request that their gamblers are dressed formally or in business casuals. On the other hand, the UK seems to be liberal as regards gambling. However, recent times have seen some changes in the UK as the government seems to be having a war against gambling addiction. To achieve their aim, there have been several restrictions on adverts for gambling.
Types of Gambling
The types of gambling available in both countries differ due to player preferences and legality. In the UK, players prefer to bet on
- sports betting sites;
- daily fantasy league;
- online poker
- online casinos and slots
- lottery.
On the other hand, in Ireland, the list of popular options includes:
- online casinos,
- sports betting,
- daily fantasy,
- lotteries and
- online poker.
Gambling Online
Market Size
The gambling industry in the UK is worth £13.9 billion, with tax revenues reaching up to 50% per organization depending on the company's turnover and size. At the moment, around 66.6% of these companies' total revenue comes from different physical facilities. That includes casinos, bingo halls, and betting shops. The remaining part is contributed by online gambling alone.
In contrast, the gambling market in Ireland is worth between €6 billion and €8 billion. As of 2019, the country's annual tax revenue from gambling was around €100 million. Like in the UK, a large percentage of this revenue comes from land facilities, and very little comes in from online casinos due to strict regulations that exist in Ireland and do not exist in the UK.
Recently, with the advancement in online technologies, the figures are slowly shifting. Online gambling in the UK and Ireland are gradually increasing in annual market share. That is all thanks to the fact that gamblers can now access more games using their mobile phones, tablets, and computers.
Things are slightly picking up in Ireland, all thanks to a new law passed in 2015. Since it was passed in 2015, the law made gambling officially legal in Ireland. Since then, there has been a quick split in online and physical gambling like in the UK. However, the split happened faster than in the UK because more adults have access to smart devices and the internet.
Simultaneously, the online industry has allowed the rise of many startups to the rank of giants in the industry. These companies leverage the innovative technologies available today in creating a gaming experience similar to what gamblers get at land-based casinos. As a result, the UK's gambling industry has more than 100,000 employees working in both online and land-based facilities across the country. In Ireland, about 1000 employees are employed in land-based casinos, and the numbers seem to be reducing to favor Online casinos that have up to 5,000 employees.
Important Brands
The brand leaders in both countries are almost the same. That is because the United Kingdom has better laws and hence a better regulating body for gambling. Although the government regulates gambling in Ireland, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) endorses several brands for operation in the two countries.
Since 2015, Ireland's government has continued to grant many online casinos licenses to operate in the country. At the moment, several brands are allowed in Ireland, but less than the number you have in the UK.
There are predictions of even more significant growth in the industry as we advance in the 2020s. Right now, we see fierce competition amongst the significant segments of the expanding market. That competition is why many varieties are available for players online to choose from in the UK and Ireland.
For instance, big and established companies in both countries, like 888casino, prefer to target online audiences with relatable themes. Others like Wink, on the other hand, prefer to reach a more expansive range of players with high-quality images. The strategies differ from one company to another, but then, the idea remains the same. That is, to make the company stand out amongst the crowd of casinos.
Conclusion
While there are massive differences in these two nations' gambling industries, there is one similarity that abounds. That is, the rapid growth in both industries. Gambling in both nations has come to stay as several benefits have become a part of both nations' economies. Now, we are seeing more and more companies operating from the UK and Ireland.
