Is banning Poker still justifiable in 2026?

Manjerica1 · Jan 6, 2026

I think poker should be allowed in all countries, as long as it’s properly regulated. Poker is a skill-based game, not pure gambling, and it rewards discipline, strategy, and long-term thinking.

When regulated, it creates jobs, generates tax revenue, and gives players legal protection. Prohibition doesn’t stop people from playing—it just pushes the game underground, where there’s no control and more risk.

Like any activity involving money, it should come with clear rules, age limits, and responsible gaming policies. Banning poker completely makes less sense than educating and regulating it. (imo)

what you guys think about it?

Emily Trott · Jan 6, 2026

Like with most things, government should keep it's nose out of it.

hobojim1247 · Jan 6, 2026

on what grounds would you ban it?

andron205 · Jan 6, 2026

Which countries do they want to ban it in? And I don't understand what's wrong with that?

diegovasques90 · Jan 8, 2026

Before an enrollment, everyone should sit back and learn about the game. Many people don't know that poker is how it is. I think it's a game where you try your luck.

On the other hand, the side that knows, cannot understand how it can be prohibited, something that is strategic and not a lottery. It's the same case of cannabis being compared to drugs, among other issues.

Roller · Jan 10, 2026

In 2026, banning poker is hard to justify when it’s widely recognized as a skill-based game with regulated frameworks, especially compared to pure chance gambling that’s legal in many places; sensible regulation, consumer protection, and taxation make far more sense than outright prohibition.

Manjerica1 · Jan 11, 2026

hobojim1247 said:
on what grounds would you ban it?

I get what you’re saying but the point isn’t that countries want to ban poker the problem is that many already do or treat it like pure gambling

In some places online poker is restricted in others real money games are illegal and in a few countries players can actually get fined just for playing Even where it’s “allowed” it often sits in a legal gray area

What I think is wrong with banning it is simple It doesn’t stop people from playing It just pushes the game underground with less safety no protection for players and more shady stuff happening

With regulation you get rules taxes jobs and protection for players Prohibition just removes control

So for me regulating and educating makes way more sense than banning something that clearly isn’t going away imo

martinoni · Jan 11, 2026

Bets are pure gambling and seems to be more scattered around the world than poker that surely is a skill based game

Alex Houngan · Jan 11, 2026

I think a big part of the problem with online poker is taxation and regulation. Many poker rooms are registered offshore, which raises concerns about tax reporting, money laundering, and fund transfers. That’s probably why in places like the US live poker is allowed, while online poker still faces restrictions. With proper regulation, transparency, and taxation, banning poker in 2026 feels outdated - controlled access makes far more sense than pushing it into the shadows.

MK_ · Jan 11, 2026

... What's justice got to do with it?, it's about the money nothing more,

they don't ban poker, they ban online poker because they can't get their cut,

you can go to a real casino most places or sports betting places... because they get their cut👍

fernandofcp · Jan 11, 2026

If the laws of a particular country prohibit poker, there is nothing that can be done. We have to respect that. If poker is an illegal activity in a country, its prohibition ceases to be considered justifiable under the current legal interpretation.

infonazar · Jan 11, 2026

Manjerica1 said:
I think poker should be allowed in all countries, as long as it’s properly regulated. Poker is a skill-based game, not pure gambling, and it rewards discipline, strategy, and long-term thinking.

View attachment 400126

When regulated, it creates jobs, generates tax revenue, and gives players legal protection. Prohibition doesn’t stop people from playing—it just pushes the game underground, where there’s no control and more risk.

Like any activity involving money, it should come with clear rules, age limits, and responsible gaming policies. Banning poker completely makes less sense than educating and regulating it. (imo)

what you guys think about it?

I think that, unfortunately, the world will never be perfect, it will never be the way we would like it to be.
Therefore, we need to look at things realistically, deal with current important issues, and use the opportunities that are within our competence.

fundiver199 · Jan 12, 2026

This is a poker forum, so it would be pretty weird for someone to be active here and think, poker should be illegal. That would be like posting in a wine forum, even though you think, alcohol should be illegal. Most of us would probably also agree, that people should be allowed to play online against players from other countries, as everyone were in the early days of online poker.

If you live in a country with a rich gambling culture, maybe geofenced sites can be a bit softer, but the international sites would also be softer, if everyone and especially americans were allowed to play there, as they were before 2011. So getting back to that situation, but with better regulation of sites, should be a goal, that pretty much everyone here can agree on.

Imagine how much better for instance the international PokerStars site would be, if they were allowed to accept players from the USA, Ontario, Australia, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands and so on and so forth. Its really a lot of attractive markets, that have been shut down or geofenced by governments.

TheniT · Jan 12, 2026

Poker should be legalized in all countries; maybe one day that will happen, but I don't believe it will be in the next few years.

KrazyKoo · Jan 14, 2026

Shouldn't be bannable

I find these regulations nothing but trouble. Governments are the real evil.

michelaltair · Jan 14, 2026

i think it was never justifiable

thwenth1983 · Jan 15, 2026

Poker being legal worldwide just makes more sense to me. It’s not just luck — it takes skill, math, discipline, and decision-making. When countries ban online poker, people don’t stop playing; they just move to foreign sites, and the government loses control and protection.

If poker is regulated instead of banned, players are safer, there are rules, limits, and transparency, and governments can collect taxes instead of letting the money go abroad. On top of that, it creates jobs and treats poker more fairly, especially when other forms of gambling are already allowed.

In the end, regulating poker works better than banning it — for players, for governments, and for the economy.

Baco · Jan 15, 2026

Which countries do they want to ban it in? And I don't understand what's wrong with that?

chicbulls2 · Jan 15, 2026

I dont think it is

dompoker · Jan 17, 2026

They should not prohibit, apart from the fact that it generates some income, poker serves to distract us, in our spare time.

- Hungria - · Jan 17, 2026

Hi, I believe that all RNG auditing and certification companies should be governmental, not private.

Happy Bobi · Jan 18, 2026

Your wish, unfortunately, has very little to do with reality. Online poker is, first of all, big business, and in this regard, we will see a bunch of laws that can complicate the activities of such a business, a bunch of licenses without which this business will not have the right to operate, and a bunch of interested officials who will think day after day about how to make money on it.

rhoudini · Jan 18, 2026

The ban only forces the game into the underworld, where there is no control or protection for the player. Regulation can be a good thing, of course.
Poker is a game of skill, not luck. Banning is like banning books because some people can't read.
The question is not whether poker should be allowed or not, but how to regulate it effectively. What would be the proper way for a government to deal with it? This is very difficult to answer. Besides, governments have other priorities.

Kasztor007 · Jan 18, 2026

In 2026, banning poker doesn’t really protect anyone anymore. People who want to play will still play — just without regulation. Poker isn’t going away, so it makes more sense to regulate it properly: transparency, player protection, and taxation. That works far better than pretending the game doesn’t exist.

Mario7 · Jan 18, 2026

To those who ask: yes, there are countries where you are not allowed play online poker. Feel free to google and find out

It is mostly because it is strictly conneced with online gambling and governments in general have no idea what poker is and what is the difference between poker and typical casino games. The level of restrictions is different, sometimes it is just "theorethical", sometimes sites are blocked in the Internet. It is always a risk of being punished because of breaking the law.

Of course we are poker players here and I would be surprised if anyone supported such things.

Is banning Poker still justifiable in 2026?

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