Racing TV says Irish racing will stay on the channel when the gambling ad watershed starts
Racing TV has given its clearest commitment so far that it will continue to broadcast Irish racing in Ireland once the gambling advertising watershed in the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 takes effect, according to a report published by the Racing Post on 12 November 2026. The statement came from a spokesperson for Racecourse Media Group (RMG), the channel’s parent company. It follows confirmation from the Department of Justice the previous week that it intends to commence the advertising restrictions as soon as is legally and operationally feasible. That marks a change from RMG’s earlier warnings that the ban would make its Irish coverage economically unviable.
What Racecourse Media Group told Irish viewers
An RMG spokesperson told the Racing Post that viewers in Ireland should be reassured that Irish racing will continue to be shown on the channel, even though there is still no confirmed timetable for the advertising provisions to commence.
“We are working closely with HRI and AIR on the appropriate arrangements and are confident of ensuring a smooth and seamless service for our customers,” the spokesperson said, referring to Horse Racing Ireland and the Association of Irish Racecourses.
RMG did not say what arrangement is being worked on.
The company holds the rights to broadcast racing from all 26 Irish racecourses under the current five-year media rights agreement, which the Racing Post reports runs until the end of 2028.
A reversal of the position taken in 2024
The commitment stands in contrast to what RMG said while the Bill was going through the Oireachtas, when it argued that Racing TV could not keep broadcasting in Ireland unless the dedicated racing channel was exempted from the ban on gambling advertising between 5.30am and 9pm.
When the Bill passed both Houses in October 2024, RMG’s then chief executive, Martin Stevenson, said it was “simply not economically viable” for Racing TV to create a separate channel for Ireland with bookmaker advertising removed. He described the channel as a small, independent broadcaster without the scale to regionalise its coverage or offer feeds carrying different advertising, and he criticised the Minister’s description of a separate Irish channel as “very straightforward”.
No exemption was granted, and the watershed remains in the Act as passed.
Where the advertising sections of the Act stand
The watershed sits in section 149 of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, which bars licensees from advertising on broadcasters and on-demand services between 5.30am and 9pm. No commencement order has been made for it, and the Department of Justice said in a statement published on 6 November 2026 that it was “not possible at this juncture” to give a timeline for the advertising provisions.
The Department said work is ongoing between the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan, and the Office of the Attorney General on commencing various provisions of the Act. It added that the advertising provisions primarily apply to those licensed by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, and that the Minister supports their commencement as soon as is legally and operationally feasible.
The GRAI began licensing remote operators under the new regime in July, but the prohibition on inducements also awaits a ministerial order. Until those sections are commenced, the regulator can license operators but cannot enforce the Act’s advertising rules, which is why the practical shape of Racing TV’s Irish service under the watershed has not yet been tested.
