The Temple Bar Games are Ireland's annual online casino awards. We are the independent team and expert jury behind them: each year we test, score and certify the best online casinos serving Irish players, and present the results at our awards ceremony in the heart of Temple Bar, Dublin. Along the way we have reviewed over 500 international and Irish-licensed casino sites, and that work feeds the top lists, reviews and comparison tables you find across the site.
Who We Are
The team behind Temple Bar Games has more than 30 years of combined experience in the online casino industry across the EU. We dedicate ourselves to testing, analysing and rating online casino sites and bookmakers to give you a fair and objective picture. Our unique testing process is built on our own carefully developed scoring criteria to guarantee high quality.
Our experts have worked in customer support, casino testing, game development and as professional poker players. Thanks to our broad experience and deep knowledge, we have a unique understanding of what Irish players want and what makes an online casino genuinely good. We follow how the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 and the new Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) are reshaping the licensing picture, and we explain what those changes mean for players in plain language.
Our Mission
We help Irish players find safe, high-quality online casinos in Ireland. With our top lists, reviews and comparison tables you can quickly see which Irish online casinos offer the best bonuses, games and payment methods on the market. We aim to be the most trustworthy starting point for anyone deciding where – and whether – to play.
Equally important is what we will not do. We never recommend an operator we would not be comfortable depositing at ourselves, and we are upfront about the trade-offs of playing at offshore-licensed sites that have not yet joined the GRAI register.
How We Judge the Awards
Before an online casino in Ireland earns a Temple Bar Games certificate or a place on our lists, our jury tests it against a consistent set of criteria. The same standards apply to every operator, whether it holds a long-established Malta Gaming Authority licence or a brand-new GRAI licence.
- Licence and regulation: We confirm the operator holds a valid licence from a respected regulator – GRAI, MGA, EMTA or, in some cases, Curacao – and we check it directly on the regulator's register rather than trusting a logo in the footer.
- Safety and security: We verify that the casino uses SSL encryption and modern security protocols so your personal and payment data stays protected.
- Payment methods: We test real deposits and withdrawals using the methods Irish players actually use – Revolut, AIB and Bank of Ireland Open Banking, Apple Pay, debit cards and e-wallets – and reward fast, fee-free payouts.
- Verification and KYC: We rate operators higher when the identity-verification process is smooth and clearly explained, so you can start playing without getting stuck in paperwork.
- Bonuses and terms: We read the small print so you do not have to, looking closely at wagering requirements, validity periods, eligible games and any hidden conditions.
- Game library and providers: We assess both the number of games and the studios behind them, because quality matters as much as quantity.
- Customer support: We contact live chat, email and phone support to judge how quickly and helpfully each casino responds.
- Responsible gambling: We score operators higher when they make it easy to set deposit, loss and time limits and to self-exclude. You can read more on our responsible gambling page.
Editorial Independence
The Temple Bar Games are funded through affiliate partnerships, which means we may earn a commission when a reader signs up with a casino we list. This never changes our scores, our rankings or our awards. Operators cannot pay to win a Temple Bar Games certificate or to climb our lists, and a commercial relationship does not protect a casino from being marked down or removed if it fails our criteria or treats players poorly.
We update our reviews as the market changes – when licences move, withdrawal times slip, or the GRAI rollout shifts the rules. If something is no longer accurate, we want to fix it.
Play Responsibly
Online casinos in Ireland are an entertainment product, not an income strategy. We take player protection seriously and signpost help throughout the site. If gambling is no longer fun, free and confidential support is available from GamblingCare.ie, the National Gambling Helpline. You can find a full breakdown of warning signs, limits and blocking tools on our responsible gambling page.
Get in Touch
Spotted an error, want to suggest a casino, or have feedback on a review? We read everything. Head to our contact page to reach the editorial team – your input genuinely helps us keep Temple Bar Games accurate for every Irish player.