GRAI and Spillemyndigheden, the respective gambling authorities of Ireland and Denmark, have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as a sign of deeper collaboration between the two European regulators.
The nature of the cooperation revolves around compliance, monitoring and enforcement, exchanging information and best practices, which is expected given that both jurisdictions have overlapping operators, such as Kindred-owned brand Unibet.
Both countries are also tightening enforcement around their respective black market exposure, while also focusing on the prevention of problem gambling.
In Ireland, GRAI is closely working with large payments institutions to safeguard its gambling market. Banks such as the Bank of Ireland and Allied Irish Bank went the distance last year to introduce payment blocks for gambling across all product types, including betting, gaming and lottery sites licensed by GRAI.
Over in Denmark, Spillemyndigheden has just published its Illegal Gambling Report, which highlighted an active 2025 for enforcement actions, where 334 websites had been blocked by a court order with the help of the regulator – an increase of 70% over the prior year.
Noting the importance of the shared agreement between the two countries, Anne Marie Caulfield, Chief Executive Officer of GRAI, commented: “This Memorandum of Understanding with the Danish Gambling Authority is another vital milestone in strengthening cooperation between regulators operating in closely connected markets.
“Continued dialogue and collaboration between Ireland and Denmark will support more effective oversight and regulation, and we see this agreement as part of our continued efforts to deepen cooperation with regulatory partners across Europe.”
Active year for GRAI, as Ireland commits to EU stability
It comes at a time when GRAI is expanding its regulatory remit, having just recently been granted extended powers to oversee the online Irish betting market, taking over from the Revenue Commissioners in what has been the biggest change in gambling legislation since the mid-1900s with the introduction of theGambling Regulation Act 2024.
Ireland has also just assumed the Presidency of the European Council after the Republic Of Cyprus’ term. Running from July through December, the priorities set out by Ireland include boosting innovation across the Union, as well as enhancing competitiveness and single market policies, where small-to-medium enterprises seek to grow and scale through cross-border opportunities.
