Stake Blocks Access for Irish Customers After GRAI Intervention

^{Ireland's gambling regulator has pressured several unlicensed online betting platforms into blocking access for Irish customers. (Photo: Alamy)}

Stake, an online casino and sports betting platform that markets itself as the world's largest, has blocked access for customers in Ireland following an intervention by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), reports the Irish Times.

Stake, which says it serves more than 44 million customers across 169 countries, restricted access for Irish users last week after engaging with the regulator. GRAI has powers to sanction operators or pursue High Court action against firms operating in the country without a licence, and it confirmed Stake had been doing so.

GRAI Confirms Geo-Blocking Without Naming the Companies

GRAI's licensing system for remote betting took effect on 1 July 2026, introducing new requirements on age verification, prompt payment of winnings and a ban on credit card deposits. The regulator has issued 33 remote betting licences to date.

In a statement to the newspaper, the GRAI said 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 'major international online gambling platform' is Stake, while the two prediction markets are Polymarket and Kalshi, which both geo-blocked Irish access in recent months.

'The GRAI is working closely with operators who have geo-blocked to ensure that consumers in Ireland are promptly refunded all monies deposited with these operators,' the authority said.

Stake Blocked Its Entire Site, Not Just Sports Betting

Stake, registered in Curaçao and previously the front-of-shirt sponsor for Everton, had been accessible to Irish users for several years. Its offering combines sports betting with casino-style games, including slots and live dealer tables.

Ireland's licensing regime does not yet cover online casino games, so Stake could have kept that side of its business running for Irish customers. It chose to block its whole platform instead of continuing to operate the unregulated part of its service.

Among the site's features was an affiliate-style referral system offering customers open-ended commissions on the bets placed by friends or family they signed up to the platform.

Irish players looking for a licensed alternative can check which operators currently hold approved casino apps under GRAI's regime, one route the regulator has been actively promoting while it works through cases against unlicensed platforms.

More Than 100 Operators Under Investigation

GRAI said it is investigating more than 100 operators and estimates the illegal gambling market accounts for 70% of betting activity across Europe, worth more than €80 billion and involving roughly 6,000 operators.

'Our enforcement team is focusing on both extraterritorial remote gambling sites that are illegal at the point of consumption in Ireland, as well as unlicensed betting in pubs and unlicensed bookmaking, both in-person and online,' the regulator said.

The Stake case follows an information-sharing agreement GRAI signed with the UK Gambling Commission earlier this year, part of a wider push toward cross-border cooperation on unlicensed operators. Licensed sites competing for the same players continue to offer standard sign-up incentives, including no-deposit bonuses, under GRAI's advertising rules.

For now, GRAI's stated priority is refunding Irish customers who had money on deposit with Stake and the other geo-blocked platforms, rather than pursuing further sanctions against a company that has already withdrawn from the market.