A Visit to Ireland’s Casinos

Casino reviews - Ireland

Learn about Steven's trip to Ireland and the casinos he visited.

Get a Great Welcome Bonus for Legal Online Casinos in NJ & PA!

Caesars Palace Online Casino
1
93 score
$2 500 Bonus
15x Wagering
10 No Deposit Bonus
0x Wagering
Review Play here

21+ | Must be 21+ and physically present in MI, NJ, PA and WV only. New users and first deposit only. Must register using eligible promo code. Wager $25+ to receive 2,500 Reward Credits. Max. deposit-match bonus of $2,500. Minimum wagering within 7 days required to unlock bonuses. NJ bonuses apply to slot play only. Full terms and wagering requirements at Caesars Palace Online Casino . Void where prohibited. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? MI: Call the Michigan Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-270-7117; NJ, WV, PA (Affiliated with Harrah's Philadelphia): If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-AMBLER (1-800-426-2537) or WV: Visit 1-800-GAMBLER | Terms and conditions apply

DraftKings
2
93 score
$2 000 Bonus
10x Wagering
- Freespins
Review Play here

21+ | 21+ and physically present in MI, NJ, PA or WV. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA, WV) or 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), or visit www.1800gambler.net (WV). | Terms and conditions apply

Ocean Online Casino
3
94 score
$1 200 Bonus
25x Wagering
- Freespins
Review Play here

21+ | Enter Promo Code: WELCOME23. Must be in New Jersey and 21 or older. Must not be part of any exclusionary list. Bet with your head, not over it. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. | Terms and conditions apply

BetMGM
4
96 score
$1 025 Bonus
15x Wagering
- Freespins
Review Play here

21+ | 21+ years of age or older to wager. MI, NJ, PA or WV only. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable site credit, unless otherwise provided in the applicable Terms. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA & WV). | Terms and conditions apply

Borgata Online
5
94 score
$1 020 Bonus
1x Wagering
- Freespins
Review Play here

21+ | Must be 21+. NJ & PA Only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable site credit, unless otherwise provided in the applicable Terms. If you or someone you know has a Gambling Problem, help is available. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. | Terms and conditions apply

PartyCasino
6
93 score
$1 000 Bonus
15x Wagering
25 Freespins
0x Wagering
Review Play here

21+ | Must be 21+. NJ Only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable site credit, unless otherwise provided in the applicable Terms. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. | Terms and conditions apply

Golden Nugget
7
92 score
$1 000 Bonus
10x Wagering
200 Freespins
1x Wagering
Review Play here

21+ | Must be 21 or older to participate. Only available in NJ & MI. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Gambling Disorder Help-line at 1-800-270-7117. | Terms and conditions apply

bet365
8
83 score
$1 000 Bonus
20x Wagering
- Freespins
Review Play here

21+ | 21+ and physically located in NJ. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. New Casino customers only. Deposit min. $10. Max. bonus $1,000. Value of deposit plus bonus must be wagered 20 times. | Terms and conditions apply

PlayLive! Casino
9
89 score
$625 Bonus
10x Wagering
25 Freespins
20x Wagering
Review Play here

21+ | 21+ and physically located in PA. New members only. Wagering Requirements and T&C’s apply. Gambling problem? Call 1-800- GAMBLER. | Terms and conditions apply

BetRivers
10
92 score
$500 Bonus
1x Wagering
- Freespins
Review Play here

21+ | Must be 21+ and present in NJ, PA, MI or WV. Void Where Prohibited. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA, WV), 1-800-270-7117 (MI), or visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD) and www.1800gambler.net (WV). | Terms and conditions apply

PlayStar
11
82 score
$500 Bonus
30x Wagering
500 Freespins
30x Wagering
Review Play here

21+ | You must be over 21 and physically within the state of NJ to play at PlayStar. Full T&Cs apply. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER. | Terms and conditions apply

RushGames
12
81 score
VC$500 Bonus
- Freespins
Review Play here

21+ | Terms and conditions apply

Bally Casino
13
88 score
$100 Bonus
0x Wagering
- Freespins
Review Play here

21+ | You must be 21 years or older and located in the state of New Jersey to play. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. | Terms and conditions apply

HarrahsCasino.com
14
75 score
$100 Bonus
10x Wagering
120 Freespins
10x Wagering
Review Play here

21+ | Must be 21 or older to gamble. Must be physically located within the state of New Jersey to participate in any CIENJ promotion. Know When to Stop Before You Start® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. | Terms and conditions apply

Wheel of Fortune Casino
15
89 score
$40 Bonus
5x Wagering
- Freespins
Review Play here

21+ | Must be 21+. NJ Only. New Customer Offer. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable site credit, unless otherwise provided in the applicable Terms. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. | Terms and conditions apply

Stake.us
16
84 score
$25 Stake Cash
250000 Gold Coins
Review Play here

21+ | Not a Real Money Casino Site. Intended for gaming entertainment. Players must be 18+ to join and play. | Terms and conditions apply

BetRivers.NET
17
93 score
10 - 1000 VC$ Bonus
- Freespins
Review Play here

21+ | Not a real money site. No gambling is involved or real money wins. Games are not intended for minors under the age of 18. | Terms and conditions apply

Pulsz
18
93 score
2.3 SCs + 5,000 GCs Bonus
- Freespins
Review Play here

21+ | There's no real money gaming offered at Pulsz.com and is intended solely for entertainment purposes. No purchase is necessary. Users must be 18 or over. | Terms and conditions apply

McLuck
19
89 score
50,000 Gold Coins
25 Sweepstakes
Review Play here

21+ | Not a Real Money Site. Players must be at least 18 and not in Washington, Alabama, Idaho, Michigan, Kentucky, Georgia, or Nevada to play. | Terms and conditions apply

High 5 Casino
20
88 score
250 Game Coins
5 Sweeps
Review Play here

21+ | 600 Diamonds also available upon sign up. Not a real money site. No gambling is involved or real money wins. Games are not intended for minors under the age of 18 | Terms and conditions apply

Funrize
21
87 score
75,000 Coins Bonus
- Freespins
Review Play here

21+ | Not a real money site. Funrize is a social casino that does not provide any real money gambling. Players much be 18 years or older to join. | Terms and conditions apply

Gambino Slots
22
86 score
100,000 G-Coins Bonus
200 Freespins
Review Play here

21+ | Not a real money site. No gambling is involved or real money wins. Games are not intended for minors under the age of 18. | Terms and conditions apply

WOW Vegas
23
85 score
5000 WOW Coins Bonus
- Freespins
Review Play here

21+ | Not a real money site. No gambling is involved or real money wins. Games are not intended for minors under the age of 18. | Terms and conditions apply

by Steve Bourie  Learn more about the author read more »

In May, 2016, my wife and I traveled to Ireland to tour the country and visit a few of its casinos.

It was our first visit to Ireland and we wanted to see a few different cities in the southern and western parts of the country.  We could have rented a car and driven the countryside, but I wasn’t comfortable with driving on the left-hand side of the road, especially in some of the smaller cities we wanted to see,  so we opted for an eight-day bus tour.

There were only 15 people on our 54-seat bus so it was very comfortable and we had a very nice time. It was great not having to worry about driving and they certainly packed a lot of scenic events into our package.

The tour started and ended in Dublin and knowing that we wanted to have some free time to visit a few casinos we arrived one day before the tour started and left two days after it ended.

Trip preparation

About six weeks before our  scheduled departure I did a Google search to find information on Dublin’s largest casino, which turned out to be the Fitzwilliam Casino & Card Club. I sent an email to them saying  I was researching an article about Ireland’s casinos and a few days later I heard from David Shirley who handles the casino’s marketing.

David was very helpful in our correspondence and the most interesting thing he said was that Ireland’s casino are not regulated: “Ireland is the only country in the European Union without any modern regulatory framework for casinos nor industry oversight. As such, casinos in Ireland exist in a “grey area” – there is no legal definition of what constitutes a casino and therefore there is a wide range of offerings available to the public.”  That was news to me as I had never heard of a country offering unregulated casinos.

I did a little more research and it seems that all Irish casinos are governed by the Gaming and Lotteries Act  of 1956 which has never been updated. Basically, the act does not make any provisions for casinos and, therefore, they are completely unregulated.  The only requirement is that a casino be “a bona fide members’ club providing casino services pursuant to a provision enacted with the purpose of allowing card-playing in private dwelling houses.” Essentially, this means that as long as the casino is a private members club anyone can open a casino offering card games. Also, there are many “arcades” in Ireland that can offer electronic gaming machines.

David further explained that his company was fully in favor of legalization and regulation. “In tandem with other members of the Gaming and Leisure Association of Ireland the Fitzwilliam advocates that a full casino regulatory environment be introduced in Ireland based on best practice from other jurisdictions. Such regulation would include all of the responsible gaming and player protection policies that are common in the USA, Canada and the UK.”

This seemed to be a very good idea, but unfortunately, legalizing and regulating casinos has not been a high priority for the Irish government. They have studied the issue and in 2007 released a 222-page report titled “Regulating Gaming in Ireland – Report of the Casino Committee”.   Six years later “The Gambling Control Bill of 2013” was drafted and it incorporated some of the recommendations in the 2007 report. It was heralded as “a unique opportunity to update the law in this area and to provide for a comprehensive new licensing and regulatory framework for gambling.” However it never became law.

If you’re not familiar with Ireland it’s important to note that the island is really divided into two countries:  the Republic of Ireland, which comprises about 85% of the land space, and the remainder is Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom and mostly governed from London. There is some cooperation between the two governing bodies on some issues, but basically they are totally independent. Northern Ireland has no casinos because they are prohibited in that area of the country.

The trip begins

Our first night in Dublin I got my first inkling of how the casinos are not regulated when I saw a man out on the sidewalk of one of the city’s busiest streets displaying a sign for a casino that offered blackjack, as well as lap dances. He was also handing out cards that could be redeemed for a free lap dance, when you first bought one for 10 Euros, or you could redeem it for a free 10 Euro bet at the casino!  I have been going to casinos for more than 40 years and that was the first time I had ever seen anything like that. Obviously, this would never be allowed at a regulated U.S. casino. We never visited that casino, but it sure was an eye-opener.

Lap Dancing Club + Poker Games in Ireland
Ireland’s casinos are unregulated. This advertisement is for a casino that offers both blackjack and lap dances!

The next day our tour started and we headed south to Waterford, which is Ireland’s  fifth most populous city and the home of Waterford Crystal. On the way to the hotel we saw a sign for a casino and we made a brief visit after dinner.  It was basically a small amusement arcade with only gaming machines: a variety of slots and a few video poker machines.  A hand-written sign said it was for “members only” but the cashier said we didn’t need to show an ID and we were allowed to look around.  I didn’t recognize the manufacturers of the slot machines, nor the video poker machines. Surprisingly, one of the games offered on the video poker machines was 9/6 Jacks or Better. However, since it wasn’t a regulated casino I had my doubts as to whether or not it was legitimately programmed to offer a game that had a 99.54% return. The “casino” was very dimly lit and there were only three people playing.  We left after a few minutes.

Ireland's countryside
A view of the beautiful Irish countryside.

Over the next few days I assumed that we would be able to visit a few other local casinos, but we didn’t see any in the towns we visited.  We spent two days in Killarney and two in Galway before returning to Dublin. The Irish countryside was truly beautiful and our favorite stop was at the Cliffs of Moher which is one of Ireland’s most-visited tourist destinations.

The Cliffs of Moher
Steve and Michelle Bourie made a visit to one of Ireland’s most popular tourist attractions: The Cliffs of Moher

While in Killarney I made a stop at Ladbrokes which operates a chain of betting shops throughout Ireland and the U.K. Besides offering bets on sports, and horse or dog racing, I found out that you can also bet on roulette. To make the bet you are required to fill out a betting slip and hand it to a clerk along with your money. I was told that the actual spins of the single-zero roulette wheel are done every three minutes at a remote facility and shown on a TV screen at each of their locations. This was obviously a good option for gamblers as Ladbrokes is a well established and regulated gaming business. They also operate an online casino for residents of both the U.K. and Ireland.

Roulette Games in Ireland
Betting shops in Ireland allow you to bet on roulette games that take place in a remote location and are broadcast live on closed-circuit televisions.

Back in Dublin we visited some of the city’s attractions and I made a visit to Dr. Quirkey’s Good Time Emporium which is the city’s largest gaming arcade. It’s located on O’ Connell street which is the main thoroughfare and tourist area of the city. Dr Quirkey’s promotes itself as a “family entertainment centre,” because it has a variety of arcade games for the kids, but it also had a “casino” offering more than 400 slots and other electronic gaming machines.

There was no membership required to enter their “casino” and I would assume that was because they didn’t offer any live card games; just electronic games.  The minimum age to gamble there was 21 (in some arcades it’s 18) and there were several rows of slots in a section amidst all of the kids arcade games. It seemed that it would be rather easy for an underage person to play them, but I didn’t see that happening. None of the slots or video poker games I saw looked familiar to any I had ever seen in the U.S.

There were only about 30, or so, machines, but as I walked around I saw an entrance to a side room and when I entered it was packed exclusively with gaming machines. Most of the games were slots, but there were also several electronic roulette games with single-zero- wheels. These tables had most of their seats occupied and they were definitely the most popular games in the room. There was also a virtual blackjack game manufactured by Shufflemaster that I had often seen in U.S. casinos. Other than that one game, I did not recognize the other game manufacturers.

After my visit to an arcade I was ready visit a “real” casino. I had made arrangements with David at the Fitzwilliam Casino to visit on a Sunday night and meet their general manager for a brief tour, but I had some extra time on Saturday so I decided to make an earlier visit on my own. David had sent me a link to take a virtual tour of their casino through Google so I was already somewhat familiar with the layout. The virtual tour was really good and you can try it out yourself here.

Entering the Fitzwilliam Casino & Card Club in Ireland
Steve Bourie at the entrance to the Fitzwilliam Casino & Card Club in Dublin.

Compared to U.S. casinos this one was rather small, but it was definitely a real casino and it offered eight gaming tables: three roulette (all single-zero), three blackjack, one punto banco (mini-baccarat) and one Brit Brag (three card poker). Poker also seemed to be very popular as they had six tables downstairs and eight more up on the second floor.

Inside the entrance the staff at the registration desk asked for my passport as proof of identity and age (minimum gambling age is 18). They then entered my information in their computer, took a photo of  me and issued me a barcoded key tag that had my membership number on it.  For any future visits I just had to let them scan the key tag which would bring up my photo and allow me entrance back in. There was no charge for this procedure and, as a new member, I was also given a chip for a free €10 bet.

I took a walk around the casino and I noticed that they also had four slot machines (which did not look familiar to me), plus four terminals to play electronic roulette.

There was a small dining area, but no bar. David had previously explained to me: “There are no casinos in Ireland that can legally sell alcohol to customers. Some casinos choose to provide alcohol for free to customers but the Fitzwilliam is not one of these – we neither serve nor sell alcohol in our Club.”

There was a €3 minimum for blackjack bets (€250 maximum) and the rules were as follows: six decks, dealer hits soft 17, double down on any two cards; split any pair; re-split any pair (including aces) as many times as you want, split aces receive one card each; insurance and late surrender offered.

For perfect basic strategy players this works out to a casino advantage of about 0.41% However, the procedure for the dealer getting a hole card is different in Ireland and players should make a slight adjustment to basic strategy.

Fitzwilliam Casino & Card Club in Ireland
A view of the gaming floor at the Fitzwilliam Casino & Card Club. The five tables in the back are for poker.

As in most European blackjack games, the dealer initially receives one face up card. The players then play out their hands and after they are finished the dealer is given a second card. This procedure is called “no-peek,” or “no hole card.” The problem arises when the dealer has a 10, or an ace, as a first card because if you double down and the dealer gets a blackjack you will lose, even if you get 21.

 According to Michael “Wizard of Odds” Shackleford, a foremost blackjack expert, the casino’s mathematical advantage is not changed but “the player should be more conservative about doubling and splitting when the dealer has a potential blackjack. Basic strategy changes are to hit 11 against a 10, hit two 8’s against a 10 or ace, and hit two aces against an ace.” More of Mike’s gambling advice can be seen in his videos on our YouTube channel.

David had told me that roulette was the most popular game in the casino and the two open tables were fairly busy. The only difference between them was in the required minimum bets. At Table 1 the minimum inside bet was €0.25 and for outside bets it was €5. At Table 2 it was €1 and €10, respectively.

All of these roulette games were much better than in U.S. casinos because they were single-zero wheels which made the house edge only 2.70% as compared to 5.26% for double-zero wheels found in the U.S.

Ireland Casino Fitzwilliam
A view of the roulette and blackjack pits at the Fitzwilliam Casino & Card Club. The table on the left is punto banco (mini-baccarat).

I placed my free €10 betting chip on “black” at table 2, but my luck wasn’t good and I lost. It was still a great deal, however, because I was allowed to play the chip by itself. At most U.S. casinos they would have done it differently. They would have issued a “matchplay chip” which would require the user to match their bet with an equal amount of their own money.

And, speaking of money, you are required to make all bets in Euros, so you will need to change currency if you don’t bring Euros with you. David explained that you just need to go to the cashier cage and they will charge a 2.5% fee for exchanging currencies. If you win and later want to change it back to your original currency, there is no fee for that.

That concluded my brief visit and I returned again the next night to meet the general manager, Lorraine Brien.  I scanned my membership key tag at the registration desk and Lorraine met me there for our tour.

I thought I had pretty much seen everything that previous night, but I didn’t realize there was a second gaming floor and Lorraine brought me up to see the room. It turns out that it was only for poker, but it seems that poker is very popular at the club. There are poker tournaments every night with entry fees from €25 and up. Cash games are also offered each night with a minimum buy-in of €50. The second floor was quite busy as a tournament was already in progress during our visit.

Also tucked away in the upper floor was a private events room with several poker tables and a great view of the lower casino floor. Lorraine explained that this was often rented out for private parties or corporate events and it seemed like a great place to host a party.

That pretty much completed my visit and I must say that I liked the place. I have been to a lot of casinos and this one was relatively small, but very nice. There was no smoking allowed, the entire facility was extremely clean and the games offered fairly good odds. I also checked them out on Tripadvisor.com where they had 24 reviews with an average four stars, out of a possible five, which is pretty good.

Overall, the casino situation in Ireland is a little strange since they are all unregulated. Until regulations are put in place I would be careful in choosing where to play.  I would be especially leery of playing video poker and maybe slot machines too. Playing table games in casinos is probably your best bet as you would know what your true odds are. However, I would probably avoid visiting the smaller operations and stick to the largest casinos within the cities that you visit.

The Fitzwilliam Casino & Card Club, Dublin’s largest casino, is open daily from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. and is located at Clifton Hall on Lower Fitzwilliam Street.

Fitzwilliam Casino & Card Club has now permanently closed.