Irish online poker players have a chance to make their voices heard as the country’s new gambling regulator seeks feedback on regulations that could have a major impact on the game.

The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) opened a public consultation on July 30 covering three proposed regulations for online and remote gambling. The consultation closes at 3 PM on Thursday, August 20, leaving just a couple of days for poker players, operators and other industry stakeholders to submit their views.

Here is the survey link.

For poker players in particular, the consultation could be an important opportunity to highlight how the proposed framework could affect the games available in Ireland.

Under the new rules, a maximum wager of €10 and maximum winnings of €3,000 apply to relevant games. If poker remains subject to these limits, the consequences could be substantial.

A €10 maximum wager would rule out most cash games beyond micro-stakes, while a €3,000 maximum win could make many multi-table tournaments (MTTs), lottery sit and gos (LSNGs) and other popular formats difficult or impossible to offer in their current form.

The consultation gives poker players and industry stakeholders an opportunity to raise concerns about how the proposed limits could affect online poker in Ireland.

A New Regulatory Era

The consultation comes shortly after Ireland entered a new era of gambling regulation.

The GRAI took control of gambling regulation on July 1, following the introduction of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024. The legislation, signed into law in October 2024, established a new licensing framework covering both B2C and B2B operators.

The reforms also introduce new advertising restrictions and a National Gambling Exclusion Register, alongside a licensing system for online gambling operators.

But the rules surrounding maximum wagers and winnings have raised particular concerns within the poker industry.

The legislation places a €10 maximum payment and €3,000 maximum winnings limit on relevant games. While the limits are not entirely new — they continue restrictions introduced under Ireland’s earlier gambling framework — their application to online poker creates a very different problem from their application to traditional casino games.

Why Poker is Different

Poker depends on liquidity. Unlike a casino game where players generally wager against the house, online poker brings players together to compete against one another. Operators provide the platform and typically earn revenue through rake or tournament fees.

That structure means restrictions on individual stakes and winnings can affect the entire player pool.

A €10 ceiling does not simply prevent an individual player from making a larger wager. It can remove higher-stakes cash games from the market, while a €3,000 winnings cap can prevent operators from running many of the larger tournaments that attract players and generate liquidity.

The effects can then filter down to lower-stakes games. A smaller overall player pool means fewer games, less choice and potentially less incentive for recreational players to remain in the regulated market.

That is why poker players and industry figures are pushing for the game to receive separate consideration rather than simply being treated in the same way as online casino products.

Ireland-based David Lyons, a former Global Poker and PokerStars employee, has already submitted recommendations to the GRAI, calling for poker to be treated separately and for the regulator to consider the differences between poker and casino gambling.

The consultation provides an opportunity for others to make the same case directly to the regulator.

A Short Window

The GRAI’s consultation is now open, but the window is closing soon, with submissions due by August 20.

For Irish poker players, this is therefore more than an opportunity to comment on technical gambling regulations. It is a chance to explain what a viable regulated poker market needs to look like.

If the €10 maximum wager and €3,000 maximum winnings limit are applied to poker without modification, many of the formats that players currently expect from an online poker market could disappear.

That could leave players with fewer games in the regulated market, potentially pushing some toward offshore sites or even jurisdictions where a wider range of poker is available.

Whether the GRAI ultimately makes a distinction between poker and casino gambling remains to be seen. But with the consultation still open, Irish poker players have an opportunity to make the case before those rules are set.