Poker in the United Kingdom: online rooms, live venues & tournaments

The UK is one of the best-regulated places in the world to play poker. Online poker has been licensed by the Gambling Commission since 2014, every operator serving British players must hold a UK licence, and player funds are protected under that licence. Our partner GGPoker runs GGPoker.co.uk for exactly this market — home of the WSOP Online and the biggest tournament guarantees available to UK players.

Live, the country has a deep scene: Aspers in London and Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham are two of the largest poker rooms in Europe, Grosvenor's GUKPT tour visits a dozen cities a year, and the WPT, EPT and UKIPT all stop here.

Online poker in the UK: what to know

UK players can deposit with debit cards (credit cards have been banned for gambling since 2020), bank transfer, Apple Pay and most e-wallets. Winnings are tax-free for players — gambling winnings are not income in UK law. Every licensed room must offer deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion, and connects to GAMSTOP, the national self-exclusion scheme.

Live poker

Casinos may spread poker cash games and tournaments under their premises licence, and dedicated card clubs such as Dusk Till Dawn operate under the same regime. There are no membership waiting periods any more; walk in with ID and you can sit down.

The festival calendar runs all year: GUKPT stops around the Grosvenor network, the Goliath at Coventry every summer (the largest poker tournament outside Las Vegas by entries), WPT Prime and EPT stops in London, and the UKIPT at Dusk Till Dawn.