Worldwide Poker Rooms for Irish Players
I have noticed that the Irish are renowned poker players. However, I don't always find the classic poker sites to my advantage, so I turn to foreign sites. This is why unregulated online poker rooms (or non-GRAI) are still very attractive to me.
Ireland, a Promising Market for Unregulated Online Poker
I find that Irish unlicensed gambling sites offer a poker experience that is very attractive to players like me. The Gambling Observatory recently revealed that almost half of poker room enthusiasts in Ireland prefer using offshore sites. If these sites are so popular, it's certainly because they offer a multitude of advantages.
Many Irish players who break away from the GRAI are convinced that the law's main mission is to collect taxes and take away the fun and substantial winnings. Consequently, more than a quarter of poker players have exclusively adopted sites without an Irish licence to play poker. I observe that this game attracts Irish players much more to international sites than sports betting, especially considering that only 4.5% of sports bettors would turn to foreign bookmakers.
Here are the Sites That Offer REAL International Poker:
N°1
Innovative poker
| Min. deposit: 1 mBTC |
| No bonus |
| no rake on the site! |
Deposit and withdrawal in crypto only, site in English. Rake at 0 on the platform using its native token (CHP). The random drawing of cards is guaranteed by an external process on the blockchain.
Why is the Irish Unlicensed Offer So Attractive?
The main reason I am attracted to the foreign offer is its overall attractiveness. Foreign casinos, benefiting from lower taxes, manage to optimize their offerings and make them as appealing as possible. They often provide bonuses and promotions to motivate their customers. My loyalty is rewarded, for example, with relatively attractive rakeback. I’ve noticed that Irish sites don't always have the opportunity to do this due to the heavy taxes imposed by their regulatory authority.
In addition, I find Irish law to be very restrictive when it comes to poker games. In the online poker rooms of foreign sites, I can enjoy a wide range of variants, much like the variety seen in games of chance not regulated by Irish law. Sites outside Ireland often offer a very rich catalogue of casino games, including some that are not available at 'legal' operators.
Another aspect that can work against GRAI-licensed sites is that their tables can take a long time to fill up. This means that if I want to play, I have to wait. On the other hand, sites outside Ireland do not have this issue, and most of the time I can find opponents to play against. My desire to compete against international poker professionals and build up my bankroll leads me to register on gambling sites without an Irish licence.
What Should the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland Do?
I believe that the GRAI will certainly find it difficult to control Irish access to sites that it does not regulate. The reason is quite simple: with just a VPN, I can hide my address and participate in online poker tournaments. One of the options open to the authority is to review its taxes to enable the operators it regulates to make their offers more attractive. Additionally, it should authorize more variants of poker games within the country. This would give players like me more reasons to seek their pleasure on Irish sites.
