Online Gambling Laws in Ireland: An Exploration

From Europe to Asia, online gambling has become a major force around the world. 

  • 24 percent of adults have gambled online in the last 4 weeks
  • 4.2 billion people gamble at least once a year 

Ireland is no exception when it comes to online gambling. In Ireland, online gambling has become a much-loved pastime, with many people having it as a hobby. Whether it’s a weekday or the weekend, online gambling is a big hit with Irish people. 

However, this raises an important question: what are the online gambling laws in Ireland? Below is a very brief guide for what you need to know regarding online gambling in Ireland. 

Yes – online gambling is legal in Ireland 

Firstly, it’s important to establish that online gambling is legal. However, websites and apps must abide by several different rules:

  • They must hold a valid Irish gambling licence or a remote gambling licence supplied by a respected authority (such as the UK Gambling Commission) 
  • Players must be over 18. If gambling apps or websites were to encourage under 18 users to join them, this would be breaking the law! 

So, if you live in Ireland and are over the age of 18, you’re perfectly within your rights to gamble online as long as you use an official website or app, so have a look for a real money slots app. Make sure to explore the internet and find which websites and games appeal to you the most. 

Gambling tax in Ireland is 1% 

This might come as a surprise to the reader, but the gambling tax in Ireland is 1% – the lowest gambling tax rate in the entire EU! This is great news for players and the gambling companies, as it encourages more people to try gambling online. 

Is online gambling legal throughout the EU? 

As an Irish person, you might travel abroad during holiday seasons or at weekends. When this is the case, you’ll want to know whether online gambling is legal in other EU countries. Here’s what you need to know:

Right now, there is no specific legislation in the EU governing online gambling services. 

Essentially, what this means is that online gambling websites and apps are 100% legal throughout all EU countries providing they abide by the laws and guidelines mentioned above. 

So, if you were to travel to another country, you can absolutely continue to gamble online providing you do so with an officially licensed provider!

Conclusion

Thanks for reading this article surrounding online gambling laws in Ireland and the EU more broadly. Now, you know that online gambling is legal in Ireland, which is why it’s so popular. In fact, the Irish are the 4th most popular gamblers in the EU, which is interesting to know. 

Moving forward, make sure to only use officially licensed gambling websites and apps. Whether you’re a fan of online poker or online slots, it’s absolutely essential that you do this to stay safe. 

Stay safe, have fun, and gamble responsibly!

7 Reasons the English Premier League is the most Popular Domestic League on the Planet

The English Premier League is the most-watched domestic sports league in the world. Millions of people from all around the globe tune in each week to watch live games unfold. 

But what is it that attracts so many sports fans to watch these soccer games? Why are television companies spending large sums of cash on the rights to televise English football, and why are some of the best players and managers in the world working for these clubs?

 

1. It’s unpredictable

Anything can happen in the Premier League. Each club is given a cash injection each year because of television rights. This allows small clubs to spend millions of pounds on top players. 

Unlike other domestic competitions, the team at the bottom of the league can beat the team at the top. Predicting the outcome of any Premier League game can prove challenging, but even with that in mind, gambling in the premier league is extremely popular. You will be able to find odds for all of the fixtures at an online casino

Betting on the Premier League can be a lot of fun. You will be able to find an online casino that allows you to bet on the number of goals, substitutions, corners, goalscorer, etc. 

It’s no surprise that gambling on the Premier League is popular. In the 2020/21 season, over fifty percent of the teams in the competition were sponsored by betting companies. 

2. The Premier League has a long history

The first Premier League season took place in 1992/93. Before the Premier League, the top domestic football division in England was known as Division One. However, Division One had generated a negative reputation around the world due to hooliganism in the 1980s, which encouraged the owners to replace it with the Premier League. 

With broadcasters Sky onboard, they decided to change the way football in England was viewed. Sky, along with the Premier League’s owners, decided to make the Premier League a family-friendly competition. They worked hard changing people’s persona on the league, and over time, it seemed to have worked. Today, attending football games is a lot safer than it once was. People of all ages go to Premier League matches without having to worry about their safety. 

3. The media attention

The media surrounding the Premier League is constantly growing. Although most fans tune into their local television network to watch the fixtures, you can easily find other content online. There are several fan channels on popular streaming platforms like YouTube, and there are countless groups on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. 

If you want to find out more about your favorite club, upcoming fixtures, the latest transfers, or injuries, just do a quick search on Google. There are multiple websites dedicated to the Premier League. There are news channels that discuss the Premier League 24 hours a day. 

 

4.The style of play

The Premier League is highly entertaining. Not just because of the avid fans, or the flashy footballers, but the style of play is what most people like about the Premier League. 

In almost every Premier League fixture you’re guaranteed tough tackles, exciting attacks, interesting tactics, etc. Unlike the German League, players don’t get a lot of time on the ball. Each player must make quick decisions if they expect to retain possession. 

Arguably the best managers in the world manage clubs in the Premier League. Klopp at Liverpool, Pep at Manchester City, Conte at Spurs, and Tuchel at Chelsea. These managers have made the Premier League the most exciting league at the moment. Although each manager has a unique style of football, it can be enjoyable for the neutral and supporters to watch. 

 

5. Watch it all over the world

In the past, watching the Premier League fixtures could prove challenging. However, in recent years, watching games has become a lot easier. Although standard in-home viewing is just as popular as it once was, more people than ever before are watching the games from their mobile devices. Streaming Premier League matches is an easy way to watch a game while you are on the move. 

Today, you can watch the English league in one hundred and eighty-eight countries. Here are the only countries that are recognized by the UN that you won’t be able to watch the league:

 

  • North Korea

 

  • Turkmenistan

 

  • Cuba

 

  • Afghanistan

 

The league reaches over one billion homes each year. Live coverage of games is shown in over 900 million homes annually. 

Even if you are planning a vacation abroad, watching your favorite team play in the Premier League won’t be difficult. 

The league is a good conversation starter while visiting a foreign country. Especially in areas throughout South East Asia and Africa. Lots of local people in these areas tune into the Premier League on a regular basis. You will find counterfeit Premier League jerseys for sale in a lot of the stalls in local marketplaces. 

 

6. The supporters

Premier League supporters are some of the most passionate supporters on the planet. Even the teams at the lower end of the table attend games week-in, week-out. International supporters often travel for thousands of miles to watch their beloved team in real life. 

Even for people who don’t find football entertaining, attending a game and watching the loyal fans scream, sing and shout, for ninety minutes can be highly entertaining. A lot of supporters in England breathe, sleep, and eat football. It is an obsession throughout the country. 

7. It created a lot of excitement during the pandemic

Although the Premier League was temporarily put on hold during the pandemic, the owners decided to continue the competition behind closed doors. This allowed fans to watch each game unfold while many people around the world were on lockdown. This provided fans with much-needed excitement. Although the stadiums were empty, the games were just as exciting as ever. During these unprecedented times, more people found themselves watching Premier League fixtures to avoid boredom. 

Interesting Ways Live-Streaming Is Changing Our Lives

While just a few years back live-streaming was seen as something innovative, the last couple of years really brought it to the forefront of your lives. Although this useful feature made it a bit easier during the last two years of the pandemic, it was on the rise even before we saw everything shut down due to COVID.

But, when did live-streaming begin and how did it get to where it is now? Which areas of our lives has it affected? Read on for more info.

A short history of live-streaming

If you’ve been taking live-streaming for granted and never really looked into its history, here is a quick guide that will teach you everything you need to know. The first live stream ever took place on June 24, 1993, when Severe Tire Damage, a band from Palo Alto, performed at Xerox PARC headquarters. During their performance, scientists from Xerox PARC were talking about a new technology, called multicasting at the time, that would make broadcasting online possible. In 1995, RealPlayer – the first media player that was capable of live-streaming was developed.

The world saw many technological developments in the next two decades and it’s only normal that the world of live-streaming changed as well. In addition to the rise of YouTube in the late ‘00s and Twitch in the early ‘10s, nowadays there are so many other live-streaming options available, from various social media platforms to other platforms that were made specifically for certain events.

With that in mind, what areas of life has live-streaming found a home in and why is it so popular?

News

Although channels that air news 24/7 have been available for a few decades, being able to stream news as they happen on social media has been a game-changer. For example, not only can broadcasting companies now share news all over the world but so can regular people. Simply by going live on Instagram, Facebook, or some other platform, people can show real-time developments in a certain matter. From live-streaming protests to using live-streaming to stay safe in certain situations, the ability to reach an instant audience comes with many benefits and makes spreading information much easier.

Education

Live-streaming has been present in education for a while, making it possible to reach a wide audience that cannot be present for a lecture. However, the pandemic put this type of teaching and studying into the spotlight. Live-streaming makes it easy for people to gather a class of interested students, regardless of where they live. Moreover, as audience participation is also possible and sometimes encouraged, watchers can easily type questions in the chat or directly ask them during the stream. This helps create an atmosphere that resembles the traditional classroom. With more and more alternatives for such an event available, the use of live-streaming in education is only expected to grow.

Entertainment

Live-streaming has also made a big impact on the entertainment industry. While we typically associate streaming with TV shows, this is not actually live-streaming. However, more and more content creators are using live-streaming to connect with their audiences. For example, in order to promote new shows and movies, Netflix regularly organizes live streams that include the cast and director during which they answer various questions. Other types of entertainment that we can find include live music and theater, which are being streamed while they are being performed so that a wider audience that cannot travel or fit into the venue can watch as well. Moreover, there are even influencers and various celebrities that live stream on their Instagram accounts while lounging around their home or doing some everyday tasks.

Gaming

The gaming industry has also seen a huge rise in popularity due to live-streaming. Viewers are able to watch their favorite Twitch gamer play their favorite game and even provide input by taking part in polls during the stream. Moreover, the live-streaming technology also impacted how we play games as now there are online casinos where users can play poker and other games with live dealers while also interacting with them via chat. For instance, SkyCityCasino offers a wide variety of live-streaming games, including roulette, baccarat, and blackjack, just like many other giants in this industry.

Business

How business is done is affected by live-streaming as well. While businesses were forced to implement working from home practices in order to be able to operate during the pandemic, live-streaming presents this industry with various benefits beyond the current circumstances. Not only can everyone in the company be able to be present during meetings but a wider audience can also be present during new product presentations and business events. An enterprise’s marketing endeavors can be boosted too, thanks to live-streaming. From being introduced to employees to answering various questions, social media and the ability to live-stream brought businesses closer to their target audience.

 

Live-streaming is no longer an innovation but a staple in our lives. It will only continue to change and improve our experiences in an increasing number of spheres.

The top TV moments of 2020. #TV #Entertainment.

With 2020 drawing to an end, Currys PC World have taken a look back on some of the most iconic and memorable TV moments of 2020..

  • David Attenborough appealed to the public to save our planet in his heartfelt documentary film A Life on Our Planet
  • Joe Exotic became an international sensation as Tiger King united millions over lockdown
  • Some of the top-rated TV shows of 2020 listed on JustWatch include the BBC’s I May Destroy You and Normal People, ITV’s Quiz, Netflix’s The Last Dance and the Queen’s Gambit, and Prime Video’s Little Fires Everywhere

With national lockdowns restricting us to our homes, TV has played a pivotal role in uniting the nation in 2020. While filming of new content ground to halt earlier in the year, fortunately many fixtures have returned, including reality TV favourites Strictly Come DancingThe Great British Bake Off and I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here. These saw the first single-sex dance couple hit the ballroom (boxer Nicola Adams OBE and dancer Katya Jones), Peter Sawkins take the title of best British amateur baker, and BBC R1’s Jordan North go to his “happy place” aka Turf Moor (the home of Burnley FC) as part of a positive visualisation trick to get over his fear.

Plus, like always, there have been a number of TV blunders and hilarious moments to reflect back on. One of the funniest highlights includes a BBC news snippet featuring a child gate-crashing her mother’s video interview – something I’m sure a lot of home-workers can relate to. The video has now been viewed nearly 2 million times on the official BBC YouTube accounts. And talking of viral clips, a snippet taken from Celebrity Mastermind became a social media meme, after actress Amanda Henderson was asked the name of teenage environmentalist activist Greta Thunberg and cluelessly answered “Sharon”.

Other TV highlights of the year include:

Preview YouTube video Shane and Jordan face The Viper Vault Trial | I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

Preview YouTube video Child interrupt BBC News interview – BBC News

Preview YouTube video Mastermind – Sharon

Preview YouTube video Callum’s return leaves Shaughna heartbroken | Love Island Series 6

Preview YouTube video Hilarious Rescue dog Kratu steals the show (and a pole)!

Preview YouTube video John Torode Sets Fire To His Kitchen While Cooking a Breakfast Muffin Live | This Morning

Preview YouTube video Gordon, Gino & Fred Try THC Infused Food In San Francisco | Gordon, Gino & Fred: American Road Trip

Preview YouTube video 80-year-old Reveals Passionate First Night With Egyptian Toyboy | This Morning