Walking down a typical Dublin street, you’d be forgiven for thinking that interest in casinos had waned since the 1990s.
Thirty years ago, it felt like there was a casino on every corner, each with an array of table games and slot machines for Dublin players to sink their teeth into. In 2024, land-based casinos still exist – D1 Club Casino on Dorset Street is still a big hit with local players – but their presence has undoubtedly been muted.
This isn’t so much an indication of Irish sensibilities, however, as it is an indication of just how the casino landscape has changed. In the late noughties there was an explosion of online casinos – with the release of the first iPhone in 2007 doing a lot to push the industry in a digital direction – and since then, players around the world have had the opportunity to play all their favourite games.
This is very much true for Ireland, where the online gambling market is set to grow to about $1.24 billion by the end of 2024. With a growth rate of 2.46% annually, this number should climb to $1.40 billion by 2029.
It’s also worth mentioning that user penetration in Ireland is set to hit 14.4% this year, which means around one in every seven Irish adults are spinning virtual roulette wheels or sitting down to play a high stakes poker game.
What Keeps Irish Players Interested in Casinos?
The casino market in Ireland is clearly greater than it ever has been before. So with this in mind, we wanted to take a bit of a closer look to understand just what continues to draw Irish players to the online casino space.
Promotions and bonuses will be the first thing, of course. The higher the bonuses, the more likely Irish players are likely to jump into a new casino – the Dolfwin online casino can thank much of its boosted popularity on its offers for Irish players, including an impressive 100% deposit match up to 200 euros and 3x reload bonuses.
But while these are important for the user penetration we mentioned earlier, it’s the games themselves that will keep us Irish playing.
The Best Games for Irish Players
Slot machines are the main draw. In an average land-based casino, Irish players could expect to find around twenty to thirty slot machines – many of which were likely taken up. But in the online space, the majority of casinos have thousands of slots for players to try out, each with different themes and gameplay options.
Irish themed slots like Shamrockers, Leprechaun, and Fishin’ Pots of Gold are particular favourites among Irish players, with many praising the smooth gameplay and the nods to classic Irish mythology.
Slots based on Gaelic football are also popular. This is a distinctly Irish field invasion game, with 2,500 clubs in Ireland alone and more than two-thirds of Irish men playing the game every year.
That being said, sometimes the classic games are the best. Poker is one of the most beloved card games in the country, with the Irish Open in Dublin, specifically, widely viewed as the pinnacle of the poker calendar. As well as poker, Dublin also has a fond appreciation for roulette, having even created their own version named ‘Dublin Roulette’. When it comes to exactly what Irish players are trying their hand at, the vast majority will always fall back on poker, roulette, blackjack, and craps as their go-to games in the online space.
Conclusion
Whether it’s the bonuses available, the Irish-themed slot games, classic table games, bingo, or even sports betting, the fact is that casinos are more popular than ever in Dublin and around Ireland. As the years progress, this will continue to be the case, so if you’re new to the landscape as an Irish player, it’s fair to say you’re well covered. The options are plentiful, and the possibilities are endless.
