Online Poker in Brazil remains available to Brazilian players despite the country’s new online gambling ban, with major operators including PokerStars and GGPoker continuing to serve the market.

Brazil’s new measures came into effect Tuesday, October 6, shutting down licensed online betting and gaming across the country. The changes affect sports betting and other online gambling products, but poker is not covered by the measure.

That was expected because Brazil classifies poker as a game of skill rather than gambling, leaving it outside the scope of the new measures. Poker remains available on the major international sites.

PokerStars, in fact, has come up with a statement confirming that its poker offering is not affected by the new rules, although some players have reported difficulties accessing the site.

“You may have seen news about a provisional measure restricting fixed-odds betting in Brazil, including sports betting and certain online games,” PokerStars said in a statement to players.

“We want to reassure you that PokerStars’ peer-to-peer poker offering is not covered by the measure, as it is played between players and is distinct from the fixed-odds betting products covered by the restrictions.”

The operator said players can continue playing poker as normal and that it will continue monitoring the situation for any changes.

PokerStars Access Issues

While poker itself remains available, PokerStars said some Brazilian players have experienced difficulty accessing the site since the new measures came into effect. The operator is investigating whether internet service providers are affecting access to PokerStars poker.

“Since the measures came into effect, some players in Brazil have experienced difficulty accessing PokerStars,” the operator said. “We are investigating these access issues, including whether internet service provider restrictions are affecting PokerStars poker, and are working to resolve this as quickly as possible.”

The operator has advised players who receive an access error to check their network connection and relevant server settings. It said the issue may be specific to a player’s local setup.

There have been no similar connectivity issues publicly reported at GGPoker since the measures came into effect. GG continues to serve Brazilian players, with no indication so far that the new rules have affected access to its poker platform.

PokerStars has also addressed player concerns about money held on the site. “Player funds remain secure,” the operator said. It added that it is monitoring payment services following the introduction of the new measures and will inform players about any changes that could affect deposits or withdrawals.

Players having trouble connecting to PokerStars or with questions about their accounts have been advised to contact customer support.

Brazil’s Poker Powerhouse

Brazil is one of the biggest poker markets in the world, with its players making a major impact on international online tournament series.

Brazilian players regularly win titles and make deep runs on PokerStars and GGPoker, including in recent WCOOP and WSOP Online series, with their players among the biggest winners in both series.

The gambling ban could also change how some Brazilian players use online gambling sites. If access to sports betting and casino games is reduced, some players who previously played multiple products could spend more time playing poker.

It is too early to know whether that will happen, but poker is now in a different position from most other forms of online gambling in Brazil.

For now, Brazilian players can continue playing tournaments and cash games on PokerStars and GGPoker. The main uncertainty is whether the access problems affecting some PokerStars users will be resolved as a technical issue or become more widespread.

PokerStars said it will continue monitoring the situation and update players if there is any material change. For Brazilian poker players, the game itself remains available despite the online gambling ban.