Stake has blocked access for users in Ireland following consultation with the Gambling Regulatory Authority for Ireland (GRAI), according to local media reports. The platform applied geo-blocking two months after the country's new licensing system came into force.
GRAI confirmed to the Irish Times that several operators, including "a major international online gambling platform" and two event-betting marketplaces, voluntarily withdrew Irish access. The regulator did not name companies, though Stake has previously described itself as "the world's largest online casino and sportsbook." Irish Times reports that Kalshi and Polymarket also closed access from Ireland.
GRAI said it is working with operators to return player deposits. Several other companies stopped accepting wagers in the country after talks with the regulator. A Stake representative told SBC News that registration from Ireland is now closed and the operator plans to apply for a licence.
For Stake this is the second regulatory engagement in a week. The platform was earlier banned in Nigeria after the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority blacklisted the operator following ten warnings; the ban applies across all states in the FSGRN federation.
The operator is also at the centre of a UK row. Stake continues to sponsor Everton FC, moving its logo from front-of-shirt to sleeve after sportsbook advertising was banned from the main position. Entain sent the club a letter calling for the contract to be terminated; Stake is one of seven unlicensed operators with a Premier League presence.
The Curaçao-licensed operator holds permissions in Denmark, Argentina and Mexico but continues to operate without licences in several markets.
