Stake Shut Out Of Ireland After Gambling Regulator Intervention
An online casino and sports betting platform that describes itself as the world's largest has stopped serving Irish customers after the country's gambling regulator stepped in.
Stake, which says it has more than 44 million customers across 169 countries, blocked access for users in Ireland last week following engagement with the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI).
Responding to a query from The Irish Times, the GRAI confirmed that following its interventions, "operators, including two major prediction markets and a major international online gambling platform, have geo-blocked their services, which means that they have voluntarily restricted access to their platforms for users from Ireland."
The regulator declined to name the companies involved, but it is understood the international gambling platform is Stake, while the prediction markets are Polymarket and Kalshi, both of which geo-blocked Irish users earlier this year.
Refunds And Wider Enforcement
The GRAI said it is "working closely with operators who have geo-blocked to ensure that consumers in Ireland are promptly refunded all monies deposited with these operators," adding that a number of other operators have also closed their betting activities in Ireland following its engagement.
The regulator has powers under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 to sanction unlicensed operators or seek High Court orders against them, and it is reported to be investigating the operations of more than 100 operators as it works through the backlog built up before Ireland's new licensing regime took effect on July 1, 2026.
Why Stake Blocked Its Whole Site
Stake, registered in Curacao, offers both sports betting and casino-style online games.
Ireland's new remote betting licence requirement, which came into force this year, does not yet extend to online casinos, meaning Stake could technically have kept its casino offering live for Irish users.
It chose instead to close its entire platform to the market rather than operate a partial service.
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Part Of A Wider Pattern
The move follows a string of enforcement actions since Ireland's licensing regime began.
The GRAI has already opened an investigation into more than 145 websites linked to Soft2Bet over allegations of illegal betting activity, and it has repeatedly said it is prepared to pursue High Court blocking orders against operators that do not cooperate voluntarily.
Anyone unsure whether an operator holds a valid Irish licence can check the GRAI's public register before depositing funds, and Irish bettors are advised to only use licensed online betting sites going forward.
