How Ireland’s gambling reforms are changing sports sponsorship

Ireland’s gambling reforms place several questions at the centre of sports sponsorship: who receives the funding, who sees the advertising and which gambling activity is being promoted. The Gambling Regulation Act 2024 treats sponsorship, branded merchandise and digital advertising as distinct issues. Its implementation is phased, making the commencement of individual provisions as important as their wording.

• Commencement changes the timeline

The February 2026 commencement order, reproduced in the Law Reform Commission’s July 2026 consolidation, brought parts of the licensing and enforcement framework into operation. However, it expressly excluded Section 159 on sponsorship and several advertising provisions. The Act’s passage therefore cannot be treated as the date every marketing restriction became enforceable.

For a sports organisation considering a partnership, that distinction separates existing obligations from changes requiring further commencement. A contract extending over several seasons needs to account for that sequence. Announcements about licensing do not, by themselves, establish when a particular sponsorship or advertising restriction applies.

• Sponsorship depends on who belongs

Section 159 sets out prohibitions on sponsorship by business-to-consumer and business-to-business gambling licensees. Its scope includes clubs or teams with child members, events aimed at children and events where most spectators or competitors are children. It also covers premises used by the relevant organisations and public activities appealing to children. Attendance and membership are separate tests within the same sponsorship provision.

The Act defines sponsorship broadly, including public or private contributions whose aim, or direct or indirect effect, is to promote gambling. Calling a payment a donation would not, on its own, settle how that definition applies.

The membership test matters beyond the age of a senior squad. A club containing adult and junior sections cannot assess the statutory wording solely by looking at who plays in its first team. The identity of the sponsored organisation, its membership and the premises involved are separate questions to examine.

• Digital advertising is a separate issue

A sports partnership promoting an online casino raises questions about both the sponsorship arrangement and the distribution of advertising. A stadium sign, a club’s social post and a paid video campaign are different forms of exposure. Bundling them into one commercial package does not remove the need to assess each element.

For advertising arrangements on social media or video-sharing services, Section 146 provides for an account and subscription requirementonce commenced: the intended recipient must have an account on the service and have subscribed to the licensee’s account. Following a sports club’s page is not the same as subscribing to a licensee. The wording concerns arrangements made by a licensee with another person, so the nature of the advertising relationship also matters.

• Merchandise and contracts need precise boundaries

Section 151 addresses branded clothing and merchandise intended for children, alongside distribution at events children may attend. It also contains a twelve-month exception for certain supplies following its commencement. Youth replica clothing and event giveaways therefore raise questions distinct from the wording of a senior-team sponsorship agreement.

These distinctions give clubs a practical basis for reviewing what a partnership actually includes. Agreements can identify the organisation receiving support, the products being promoted and the advertising channelscovered. They can also specify how material will be withdrawn or replaced if a relevant provision becomes operative during the contract.

The reform does not justify treating every commercial relationship as an identical transaction. Its provisions draw boundaries around recipients, audiences and promotional activity. A useful assessment follows those boundaries, checking commencement and the applicable wording before reaching conclusions about a particular sports partnership.