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While Las Vegas can be considered a classic market for betting, there are many fine venues in Europe where you can immerse yourself in your favorite card game. Be the lush refined settings of the live venues or the elegant cardrooms of online casinos, the gambling industry has made remarkable progress in Europe. On this page, we’ll take a look at the current scenario for EU poker players to help you determine the best attributes European poker sites can offer for a great experience.
Online poker in Europe 2026
Online Poker has been around in Europe for quite some time. However, the approach varies across countries. Alongside EU institutions, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) plays an active role in shaping industry standards and best-practice guidelines for online gambling operators across Europe. However, it is essential to remember that individual governments continue to shape their legislation independently.
There are online gambling jurisdictions responsible for regulating & issuing licenses. These include the Malta Gaming Authority, the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, the UK Gambling Commission & several others. While some of these are a part of the EU, others operate autonomously.
In most European countries, the legal age for playing online poker is 18. However, some countries have higher age limits for other types of gambling. These include Germany, Ireland and Belgium, for example, where the legal gambling age is 21. In Portugal, native players must be 25 years old, whereas tourists can play from the age of 18.
As there is no specific EU-wide legislation for online poker, this makes each country accountable for regulating online gambling within its borders. Most European countries have made online poker legal and many allow players to enjoy their winnings untaxed, including the UK. However, there are exceptions in countries like Romania, Germany, Italy & Latvia, where your winnings may be taxed, subject to withholding, or taxed above certain thresholds. For countries like Slovakia, gambling winnings are generally exempt when paid out by a locally licensed operator, while in Slovenia a 15% withholding tax applies to prizes above €300.
If you need country-specific info, check out the guides below. Rules, licensing, and available online poker sites can vary a lot across Europe, so it’s best to review the local situation before you play.
The European online poker markets
The European market remained segregated until the arrival of the ‘’European liquidity Deal”. Launched by the French regulator ARJEL (now ANJ), the shared liquidity project significantly reshaped the European online poker market. France, Spain & Portugal signed the agreement bringing grinders together. The customers from the involved countries can play on cross-border poker sites; however, Italy is not a party to this agreement as of 2026.
France has legalized online gambling since 2010. Currently, the L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) acts as a governing body for Online Poker in France. Land-based poker in France is also regulated by L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ).
Over the past decade, Spain has altered & amended its gambling laws several times. Today online gambling is heavily regularized in Spain. Being a part of the 'shared liquidity market,' Spanish players have access to several cross-border sites available among EU countries.
Germany, probably the largest country in the European Union, has a complex relationship with gambling legislation. Only a handful of online casinos approved by the Government are allowed to host German punters. Starting in July 2021, the new state treaty on gambling, the GlϋNeuRStv, legalized online poker in Germany under a licensed regulatory framework. This brought about significant changes for poker players in Germany.
Quintessentially, the United Kingdom has legalized both online & offline forms of betting. The United Kingdom Gaming Commission (UKGC) has introduced strict rules for gambling sites catering to British customers. The new law, however, provides for the taxation of operators, while player winnings, including those of professional players, are not subject to tax. Similarly, playing poker in Italy is 100% legal and regulated by the ADM (Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli), formerly known as AAMS.
Since Italy didn’t join the shared liquidity agreement, Italian players do not have access to a global pool and only have a handful of options to play online poker.
Top EU online poker sites
| Poker site | Games | Bonus | Rakeback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pokerstars | NLH, PLO, PLO5, PLO6, ShortDeck, AoF, PLO Hi/Low, 5 Card Draw, Badugi, Zoom Poker | 100% up to $600 | up to 60% |
| Redstar | NLH, PLO, Short Deck | 200% up to €2,000 | up to 45% |
| Unibet | NLH, PLO, Banzai | €500 | 4%-65% |
| 888Poker | NLH, PLO, Snap | 100% up to $1,000 | 4%-10% |
| GGPoker | NLH, PLO, PLO5, AoF, Short deck, Mystery Battle, Flip&Go | 100% up to $600 or $100 tickets | 24%-80% |
The European gambling market is ripe, with many states having fully regulated gambling industries. Typically, European customers have more comprehensive options to choose from the rooms & take part in the live tournaments. Therefore, the best poker sites for European players greet the new users with welcome bonuses, quality software, reliable game selections, special promotions & much more. They can easily register with some of the best European rooms & pit their skills.
Pokerstars
PokerStars is one of the most experienced poker brands in Europe and offers some of the broadest player coverage across multiple countries.
In addition to operating as a global platform licensed by multiple European regulators, the poker room is active in the enclosed markets such as France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. These countries have national PokerStars preserved platforms, which dominate in terms of player liquidity.
Alongside strong security and consistently high traffic, PokerStars attracts players with:
- Classic bonuses: 100% on the first deposit up to $600 and the Stars Rewards program with rakeback of 15–60%.
- Stable application with a familiar interface and modern graphics;
- Opportunity to qualify for live EPT events and a wide range of regional poker festivals.
888Poker
888Poker is owned by Evoke, a well-known European gaming brand that also operates online casinos and sports betting platforms. Alongside PokerStars, it is one of the oldest online poker rooms in the region. 888Poker runs preserved sites in Italy, Spain, and Portugal.
The site’s strategy focuses on providing the most comfortable environment for beginners:
- $88 no deposit bonus available.
- 888Poker Club program includes 2,000 levels with missions and rewards such as tickets, free spins and free bets.
- Regular promotions with tasks provide players with access to large freerolls.
888Poker also runs its own live series. The 888poker LIVE series hosts four to five stages each year in major European cities, including Madrid, Barcelona, London, and others. Tickets to the festival's Main Event can be won via online satellites.
Unibet Poker
Unibet Poker is owned by FJD and stands out as the most distinctly "European" poker site on our list. Registration and gameplay are restricted to EU players only. Alongside its pan-European player pool, the site also operates a preserved platform in France.
Like 888Poker, Unibet Poker is focused on fostering a healthy poker ecosystem, but it enforces this philosophy more systematically than many competitors. Bumhunting — the targeted exploitation of weaker players — is effectively eliminated on the platform through:
- Complete ban on the use of any poker software.
- Opportunity for one player to use up to five nicknames simultaneously.
- Randomized seating at the tables.
- Absence of waiting lists.
The Unibet Open continues to be one of the brand’s flagship promotional assets, with two to three stages held each year in major European capitals. And Main Event tickets are regularly awarded through online promotions and satellites.
GGPoker
GGPoker expanded into Europe from Asia and quickly established itself in the region through aggressive marketing and proactive cooperation with regulators. The poker room holds licenses in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and operates in unregulated markets under a Maltese license.
GGPoker ’s website and mobile app are available in multiple European languages. Key advantages of the poker room over its competitors include:
- Huge player pool (minimum 100,000 connections at any time).
- Access to all popular poker formats and exclusive games.
- $10M+ in prizes in monthly races and other promotions.
- WSOP Online series with a $100M guarantee and real bracelets;
- Modern application with a large number of built-in options.
Deposit and withdrawal options for European poker players
Thankfully European players have an array of options for making a deposit or withdrawing the winnings from online poker rooms. Playing on a licensed & reliable room adds to the available options. Therefore, it is vital to ensure the registered card room offers quick banking options with the least hassles. Popular options include credit cards, e-wallets (Neteller & Skrill), debit cards, bank wires, PayPal, cryptocurrency & much more.
The best thing about playing poker online in Europe is that you can use the local currency along with a variety of languages. Most of the reputed Euro poker sites accept the Euro or the British Pound apart from the US Dollar. Some online poker sites accept cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and stablecoins like USDT.
Bonuses, promotions and rakeback for EU poker players
There is no shortage of quality bonuses offered by top European rooms. The most common bonus type you’ll encounter is the sign-up bonus. Other popular bonuses include the reload bonus, no deposit bonus & much more. Besides looking for top bonuses, it is necessary to check the other fringe benefits associated with the bonus, which might vary from site to site.
Once you register with a new room, you're likely to be rewarded weekly or monthly promotions based on your initial deposit & thereafter. Poker rooms constantly upgrade the promotions & bonuses to retain loyal players. One of the added incentives for devoted players is rakeback. Like a VIP rewards program, some of them offer extensive rakeback deals to maximize your cashback earnings. A higher rakeback deal attracts more seasoned players.
Famous European online poker series
Between 2020 and 2021, several major European poker series temporarily moved online. This shift triggered a boom in large-scale online festivals with prize pools reaching tens of millions of dollars and built the foundation for recurring online and hybrid series, which will continue into 2026.
The Irish Poker Open, Europe is the oldest live poker tournament. It successfully hosted online series in the early 2020s with prize pools exceeding $5 million. By 2026, the festival had fully returned to its traditional live format, while continuing to offer online events and satellites with million-dollar guarantees.
In 2020, the Battle of Malta set a record for mid-buy-in tournaments with total prize pools of more than $30 million. In the years that followed, the festival expanded across both live and online formats, continuing to offer multi-million-dollar prize pools and staying relevant for players in 2026.
WSOP Online, operated in partnership with GGPoker, has established itself as a regular part of the poker calendar. Each year, the series awards dozens of bracelets and features total prize pools reaching tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars, including flagship Main Event tournaments that are set to continue through 2026.
The European Poker Tour (EPT) continues to be one of Europe’s largest live poker series, with individual stages drawing thousands of players and generating multi-million-euro prize pools. After a period online, EPT had returned to live events, while also supporting them with online qualifiers and regional series.
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