Ireland is one of the most poker-friendly countries in the world today. As an Irish resident, you can play at Irish online poker sites from the comfort of your own home without worrying about being arrested or taxed to death. That is a freedom not available to citizens of many other countries. Some of the biggest questions from Irish poker players include; What are the poker laws in Ireland? Are poker winnings tax-free in Ireland? And what are the best Irish online poker sites to play at?
Below you will find more information on the legal aspect of playing online poker in Ireland, as well as a complete list of the best Irish poker sites online. All of the poker rooms featured on this page offer top-notch software, seats to Ireland's biggest live event and excellent reward programs. Use our bonus codes and / or links to join, and receive an exclusive bonus.
| Rank |
Poker Room |
Ireland |
Mac |
Bonus |
Match |
Code |
Player Trafic |
Room Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
888 Poker | |
|
£400 | 100% | N/A | 20,000+ | 888 Poker |
| 2 |
Party Poker | |
|
£350 | 100% | NETPOKER500 | 70,000+ | Party Poker |
| 3 |
PokerStars | |
|
£600 | 100% | OPN50 | 240,000+ | PokerStars |
| 4 |
Winner Poker | |
|
£700 | 250% | OPNET | 25,000+ |
There’s no shortage of options for Irish online poker players. Given that Irish online gambling law isn’t exactly restrictive, most of the best online poker sites are fully operational in Ireland. Your best bet is to pick a site with excellent software, great customer support, and a large base of players. That way, you can be assured of a good gameplay experience and positive that you’ll always find action at the tables.
888 Poker Is The Top Legal Irish Poker Room for Irish Players
Receive up a 100% to £400 Bonus Plus a Free £6 No Deposit Bonus
888 Poker is the #1 poker site in Ireland and offers the top bonus for new players. Join 888 Poker using the links on OnlinePoker.net and immediately receive a free £6 no deposit offer. You also qualify for the 100% to £600 bonus with your first deposit. 888 Poker is an industry icon and provides one of the most unique and creative platforms. Through the 888 software you'll have access to live poker via web cams, rich 3D graphics and a huge selection of online games. 888 Poker is licensed in Gibraltar, is listed on the LSE and is one of the most trusted poker rooms on the market.
Party Poker Accepts All Irish Players - Accepts Deposits in GBP / Euros
Receive 100% up to £350 Bonus - Deposit in Euros &
Must Use Our Exclusive Bonus NETPOKER500
If you're looking for poker site that has an immaculate reputation, one of the top performing software platforms and is legal for Irish poker players, Party Poker is it. The poker room is one of the most well known brands on the market, in part due to their heavy advertising campaigns, but also because of the quality of service they provide players. The poker site is currently the second largest poker room in the industry, catering to more than 60,000 players during peak hours and provides huge value to their players via a VIP rewards program. PartyPoker accepts all players from Ireland and offers tables in Euros and GBP. Join using our Party Poker bonus code NETPOKER500 and receive a 100% to $500 deposit bonus.
PokerStars Is The Largest Poker Room in Ireland
Offers a £600 Deposit Bonus Plus Play Poker in Euros or Pounds
Pokerstars is by far the world's most recognizable poker site. The poker room accepts players worldwide, including those that live in Ireland. Some of the biggest benefits to choosing Pokerstars.com is the game selection, the number of satellites to live events and their custom rewards program. This Irish poker site offers the widest spread of games and includes; Hold'em, Razz, HORSE, Stud, Draw, Badugi, 2-7 Triple Draw and 8 Game Mix. Pokerstars will allow Irish players to deposit and play poker in either USD, Euros or Great Britain Pounds and includes a 100% to $600 poker bonus.
Winner Poker Deposit and Cash Out in Euros - Software in Deutsch
Receive up to £700 Bonus With Our Bonus Code OPNET
Winner Poker is final poker site for Irish players. This poker room is powered by the iPoker Network, which operates on the Playtech platform. The software is both Windows and Mac compatible, featuring customized menu filters, game options and a built in casino for side games. The most notable feature within the software is the currency specific tables. If you prefer to play poker in GBP, use the menu filter to select poker games in Pounds. Other currencies available for play include the US dollar and Euros. Winner Poker is offering all new Irish poker players a huge first deposit bonus. Join using our coupon code OPNET and receive a 250% to £700 bonus. All bonuses are stackable and released in increments of $5.
Is Online Poker Legal in Ireland?
In terms of online gambling legislation, Ireland is an interesting case. It is one of the few remaining developed nations whose gambling laws don’t specifically address wagering via internet. In essence, online gambling is a void in Ireland’s legal landscape.
A recent Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform report set out to explore regulatory options for online gambling. The report notes that current gambling legislation, the Gaming and Lotteries Act (1956), is a “relic of social history” that is “utterly unsuited to effectively regulate gaming in a modern, wealthy European state”.
Because of this archaic statute, playing online poker is completely legal in Ireland at this time. Irish players do not have to worry about being prosecuted for wagering on the Net, because there is no law on the books that condemns such activities.
Must I Pay Taxes on Winnings from Irish Online Poker Sites?
The main piece of legislation dealing with taxation in Ireland is the Taxes Consolidation Act (1997). Under the act, income-producing activities subject to taxation are called “chargeable gains”. Some income-producing activities are exempt from taxation, and thus are not considered to be chargeable gains.
One such activity, happily, is online gambling. Section 613 of the Act states the following:
“(2) Winnings from betting (including pool betting), lotteries, sweepstakes or games with prizes shall not be chargeable gains, and rights to winnings obtained by participating in any pool betting, lottery, sweepstake or game with prizes shall not be chargeable assets.”
Online poker winnings are thus exempt from taxation. Thus you are free to win as much as you want at Irish online poker sites, and you can take it all straight to the bank.
Are Irish Residents Safe to Play Poker Online?
Yes, completely. As we’ve seen, online poker is both completely legal and unaffected by tax laws in Ireland. As far as legality goes, Ireland is one of the most online poker-friendly nations in the world.
Do Irish Online Poker Sites Accept EUR Deposits?
Yes, plenty of Irish poker sites accept deposits in Euros. Most sites will, however, keep your account balance in USD; and most will spread USD-only game tables, too.
A notable exception to this rule is Bet365 Poker, which allows you to both keep your balance in EUR and to play on EUR-only poker tables.
So why would you want to deposit in EUR rather than USD? Simple: to avoid costly currency conversion fees. If you attempt to deposit from a EUR funding source to a USD poker account, you will be charged a 1-2% exchange fee. But if you deposit from your EUR funding source to a EUR poker account, you don’t pay a lick extra. Thus you’ll want to sign up at an Irish online poker site that gives you the option to deposit in EUR. 888 Poker and Bet365 Poker both allow this.
Do Irish Poker Sites Accept GBP Deposits?
Yes, there are Irish poker sites that accept deposits in GBP. The process works the same as with EUR deposits: you simply match up your deposit currency with your account currency in a poker site’s cashier window. By doing so, you avoid currency conversion fees that occur when depositing to a non-GBP account.
Most Irish poker rooms spread USD-only poker tables. So although you’ll be able to deposit in GBP and avoid exchange fees, the poker site will automatically convert your balance to USD. Accounts are always converted according to official international exchange rates.
If you’d rather not play in USD, you can sign up for a GBP account at Bet365 Poker. Bet365 allows you to keep your account balance in GBP and also to play at the tables in GBP.
888 Network
Largest
Overlay Poker Tournaments
Small
Stakes Poker Sites
Free
Instant Poker Bankrolls
Poker Room Networks
Online
Poker Sites Shut Down Pokerstars
Fulltilt Shut Down Full
Tilt Poker Shut Down USA Top Lists
www.PokerStars.eu www.PartyPoker.com www.SkyPoker.com www.Mansion.com BetOnline Poker Review www.PaddyPower.com www.Bodog.com www.Bwin.com Bovada Poker Review
Contact Us About Us Our Editors Privacy policy Disclaimer Legal / UIGEA
Copyright 2003 - 2012 OnlinePoker.Net - The Net's Online Poker Guide - All Rights Reserved