Northern Ireland Confirms 2027 Review Of Gambling Reforms

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has confirmed that a full review of Northern Ireland’s 2022 gambling reforms will be conducted in 2027, while ruling out a comprehensive overhaul of the region’s gambling legislation during the current Assembly mandate. The announcement, made to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 29 September 2026, indicates that any further reform – particularly in relation to online gambling – will fall to the next Executive.

Scope of the Review

The review will assess the effectiveness of the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, the first substantial update to the region’s gambling framework since 1985. According to the Minister, the assessment will be evidence-based and will focus on the outcomes of the 2022 reforms, including their impact on player protections.

The 2022 Act introduced a range of measures, among them:

• Extended licensing hours for betting shops and increased stakes and prizes for gaming machines
• Permitted opening of licensed premises on Sundays and Good Friday
• Removal of the “no purchase necessary” requirement for prize competitions
• Regulation-making powers for the Department for Communities, including the ability to issue codes of practice and to impose a statutory levy on operators

Gaps That Remain

Despite these changes, several structural issues remain unresolved. Northern Ireland continues to operate without a dedicated gambling regulator, and online gambling is not covered by the current regulatory framework. The statutory levy powers created under the 2022 Act have not yet been brought into effect, and no statutory codes of practice are in place.

The Minister’s position means that the question of online regulation will not be addressed within the current mandate. The 2027 review is expected to establish what the 2022 changes have achieved, rather than extend regulation to the market segments the legislation left untouched.

A Diverging Island

The announcement highlights a growing regulatory divergence on the island of Ireland. In the Republic of Ireland, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) was formally established in March 2025 under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, with powers over licensing, advertising restrictions and consumer protection across both land-based and online gambling.

Industry stakeholders in Northern Ireland have previously expressed support for an independent regulator, including in earlier departmental consultations. Campaigners and harm-prevention organisations have also argued that the absence of a dedicated regulator and levy arrangements leaves a gap in the funding and oversight of treatment and prevention services.