Ireland Ends Pub Betting Amid Anti-Money Laundering Crackdown

^{Sean’s Bar in Athlone — Ireland’s oldest pub, operating since 900 AD}

Hundreds of pubs across Ireland have stopped accepting bets from patrons following increased scrutiny by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, The Irish Sun reports.

Taking bets on behalf of bookmakers on pub premises is prohibited, but the practice had continued for years at some establishments, particularly in smaller towns.

Customers did not need their own account with a bookmaker. They simply handed cash to the pub owner or a member of staff and said what they wanted to bet on. The pub would then phone the bet through to the bookmaker, placing it through its own account.

From the bookmaker’s perspective, all bets were technically placed by the pub owner, even though the money came from different customers. If a bet won, the bookmaker credited the winnings to the pub owner’s account, and the owner then paid the customer. If a customer lost, the bookmaker kept the stake, while the pub received around 10% of the amount lost as commission.

Some bookmakers also installed dedicated screens in pubs displaying up-to-date odds. One operator alone — whose brand was not named — worked with around 400 venues. After the regulator stepped in, bookmakers began closing pub accounts and deactivating the screens installed there.

The increased scrutiny is partly linked to customer identification requirements. For winnings of €2,000 (around $2,300) or more, customers must provide ID and proof of address.

These requirements could not be met when bets were placed through pub accounts, as the bookmaker had no direct contact with the customer. Law enforcement also became concerned that the system could be used to launder criminal proceeds. During raids in central Ireland last year, authorities found records of bets of around €10,000 (about $11,600) placed on clear favorites through several pubs.

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