The United Kingdom has a long history of legal gambling, with horse racing and sports betting being particularly popular. Although destination casinos exist, the local gambling culture centers more around small-scale betting shops. Recent regulatory policy changes meant to curb problem gambling have sent the industry reeling and forced many of these shops to close.
The Grosvenor UK Poker Tour is the main local poker series, now that the former UK & Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) has been folded into the international PokerStars Open tour.
London is occasionally a stop on the European Poker Tour (EPT), but not a consistent one.
Online poker sites must be locally licensed, but are able to be part of global dot-com networks, so the traffic is not ring-fenced.
Top UK poker pros include Stephen Chidwick, Ben Heath and Sam Trickett.
A new U.K. report asserts that vices like gambling, tobacco, and unhealthy foods might not stimulate the economy as much… Continue reading UK Study Finds Gambling May Deliver Less Economic Value Than Assumed
Starting next month, regulated British gambling sites will no longer be able to offer promotions that encourage players to try… Continue reading British Regulator Bans Cross-Marketing Promotions for Online Gambling Sites
Tony Bloom, billionaire poker player and owner of multiple soccer clubs, has been accused of betting on his own teams through… Continue reading Billionaire Poker Player and Soccer Club Owner Tony Bloom Caught in the Middle of British Betting Scandal
Poker sites serving the U.K. will be paying almost twice as much tax come April, and players should brace for… Continue reading UK Poker Players Likely to See Rakeback Cut Following 2026 Tax Increases
British police in Birmingham, England, have shut down several illegal gambling dens, some of which they say used infrared cameras… Continue reading British Police Warn of International Students Being Targeted by Cheaters in Illegal Poker Games
UK-based charity GambleAware is set to shut down by March 2026 after over 20 years of service. Founded in 2002,… Continue reading United Kingdom Charity GambleAware Announces Shutdown Amid Changing Government Policies
Billionaire poker player Tony Bloom, who owns English soccer club Brighton & Hove Albion, is making another big wager by… Continue reading Billionaire Poker Player Tony Bloom Bets Big on Scottish Soccer Club Heart of Midlothian
Tom Dwan is threatening to sue UK police and London’s Park Royal hospital over how he was treated in their… Continue reading Tom Dwan Threatens to Sue UK Police, Psychiatric Hospital, and PokerNews
Online poker players can now qualify at GGPoker for the upcoming United Kingdom Poker Championships (UKPC). The site is partnering… Continue reading GGPoker Launches WSOP Online in Ontario, Partners With Dusk Till Dawn for UK Poker Championships
After an action-packed week at the World Series of Poker, several players found championship bracelets and the $10,000 Main Event… Continue reading WSOP Update: Main Event Reaches Final Table; Players From South Korea, Canada, UK Come Up Big
