What the New Gambling Laws Mean for Irish Poker

Poker’s Status in Ireland’s Gambling Overhaul

You might think poker, as a staple of gambling culture, would be central to any major overhaul of gambling laws. But in the 220-page document that lays out the new regulatory framework, poker is mentioned just once — a fleeting reference buried on page 190. This lack of attention has raised alarms across Ireland’s poker community.

Why does this matter? The new act lumps poker in with all other forms of gambling without recognizing its nature. It also imposes strict caps on stakes and winnings: a maximum wager of €10 and maximum winnings of €3,000. For games that rely on larger pots and prize pools — like poker tournaments or cash games — these restrictions are a death knell.

What This Means for Operators and Players

This regulatory oversight has left poker operators scrambling. Companies like Flutter Entertainment — the parent company of Paddy Power and PokerStars — are lobbying hard for clarification.

If these issues aren’t resolved, Ireland could face a scenario similar to what happened in Australia. There, unclear regulations drove major operators out of the market, pushing players toward unregulated and often unsafe black-market platforms. For Irish poker players, both recreational and professional, the stakes are equally high. The lack of viable games could force players to travel abroad or abandon the game entirely.

Live poker faces similar challenges. Current rules would restrict live cash games to micro-stakes limits, and tournament prize pools would be decimated. With such tight restrictions, many operators say the math simply doesn’t work to sustain live poker events.

The Question of The Irish Poker Open

One of the most iconic casualties of these new rules could be the Irish Poker Open. Scheduled to celebrate its 45th anniversary in 2025 with a record-breaking €2.5 million Main Event guarantee, the Open is a cornerstone of Ireland’s poker heritage. But under the proposed caps, hosting such an event would be impossible.

Fintan Gavin, CEO of the Irish Poker Tour, has been vocal about the potential fallout. “The €10 max stake with the €3,000 max payout isn’t being applied to horse racing on account of it being classified as a sport,” he explained in an interview with VegasSlotsOnline. “We hope that poker will receive its own exceptions so that the game is still stageable.” Without these exceptions, iconic events like the Irish Poker Open — and the entire ecosystem of smaller live games and online satellites that support it — could be at risk of folding entirely.

Consumer Protection Takes Priority

The broader focus of the Gambling Regulation Act is clear: consumer protection and problem gambling. The framework introduces robust safeguards aimed at vulnerable players and places significant emphasis on sports betting, which generates the lion’s share of Ireland’s gambling revenue. While these priorities are important, they leave poker — a skill-based game with a dedicated community — out in the cold. Unlike slots or sports betting, poker operates on a fundamentally different model, blending skill and chance. Ignoring this distinction risks stifling the game’s growth and alienating its players.