Not many countries encourage poker in the same way as what Ireland does. Poker in Ireland is completely legal and even tax-free. Not only this, Ireland also organizes one of the biggest tournaments in the entire Europe. Yes, we are talking about the Irish Poker Open. In Ireland, there are several online poker sites that offer excellent service to the citizens of Ireland, and some of them are considered to be the best among the world. Along with, they accept numerous types of currency. Therefore, it allows the player to play poker using USD, Pound, or Euro as well. Not only this, the Best Irish Poker Sites offer customer support service in different languages.

Gambling Laws in Ireland
Like we said, gambling is a popular activity in Ireland, which has turned into a major revenue generating sector. During the year 2008, around 3.6 billion was put into stake encompassing around 1,093 gambling shops. And, it does not even encompass the betting amount at the Best Irish Poker Sites. According to the figure, around 3/4th population of Ireland gamble yearly.

What makes poker legal in Ireland?

The history of Irish gambling sector is around 50 years old. Even though casinos were considered as unlawful, loopholes were formed to get through them easily. Running a casino game in a pub is considered as legal, providing players must have their membership card that shows their personal details. Similarly, poker games in Ireland are considered as legal, on the condition that house should not make profit from the game.

In the Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, gre-hounds and horseracing were considered as the major game. But, with the passage of time, different forms of gambling made their entry into the market of Ireland. And, eventually it brought significant changes in the 1956 Gaming and Lotteries Act.

Currently, the Act is going through some major changes, which focuses more on bookmakers and telephone betting. However, it does not include anything related to casinos; and, for this reason, a committee has been appointed by the government of Ireland, which would facilitate the regulation on poker sites.

Irish Poker Open - Ireland's Biggest Poker Tournament

The Irish Poker Open is considered as one of the major poker tournaments in the entire Europe. And, it is basically a No Limit Texas Hold’em poker tournament. The Irish Poker Open tournament is organized each and every year on Easter Weekend. The tournament was started by Ted Rogers; he founded and even organized the tournament a number of times. It was the influence of Ted Rogers that inspired the Irish poker fans to organize similar events. And, they took a lot of information and idea from the WOSP tournament in 1979. In the year 1982, the Irish Poker Open drew some of the best pro players from America, such as Jack Keller, Tom McEvoy, Stu Ungar, Chip Reese, and Doyle Brunson. With the passage of time, various poker sites have made their entry into the arena of Ireland poker.