Is PokerStars available in the UK?

PokerStars UK is legal and has operations in the UK under the UK Gambling Commission license number 39108.

Is PokerStars available in Ireland?

PokerStars is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland and you can use their sportsbook, casino games and poker games in Ireland.

Can PokerStars be trusted?

With a licensing from the UK Gambling Commission, PokerStars is completely legal to operate and trustworthy.

What’s the legal age to sign-up on PokerStars?

For their sportsbook, poker games and casino games, PokerStars does not accept players below the age of 18.

Does PokerStars verify identity?

PokerStars must verify your identity in order to confirm whether or not you are of the legal gambling age.

PokerStars review 2026: Casino, poker, free spins bonus & app overview

Grant McQuillan

As one of the most popular poker websites and apps across the UK, we’ve compiled a comprehensive PokerStars UK review that looks at all their features, the PokerStars customer support, and what PokerStars offers for bonuses and promotions.

Our bookmaker and iGaming reviews consider every aspect important to players wanting to sign up for a new operator. This doesn’t just include the best promotions and the best football betting sites UK. In our PokerStars review in April 2026, we’ve put together the main strengths and weaknesses below.

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Pros

✓
Free poker games for beginners

✓
Cash tournaments

✓
24-hour competitive rooms to play in

✓
Excellent welcome bonus

👎

Cons

✗
Lack of learning tools for those wanting to learn poker

✗
No phone number to contact

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A few restricted countries

PokerStars £500 Casino Bonus + 50 Free Spins & more

As one of the more established global poker brands, PokerStars offers its UK players various bonuses, promotions, and sign-up offers. Let's get into it.

PokerStars Casino provides an excellent welcome package for new players looking to explore their extensive gaming library. Players receive a Casino Instant Bonus on a qualifying deposit for twice the deposited amount (1x contributed amount + 1x bonus funds). The maximum balance credited is £1,000, awarded for a £500 cash deposit.

Following their deposit, players also receive 50 Free Spins. Each Free Spin is worth £0.20, for a total of £10 per player.

pokerstars casino bonus

Free Spins can only be used on: 3 Witches Classic, 5 Lions Megaways, Area Link Phoenix, Big Bass Bonanza, Big Bass Splash, Big Blue Bounty, Bigger Bass Bonanza, Book of Dead, Cashzuma, Christmas Big Bass Bonanza, Devour the Weak, Eye of Horus Megaways, Fishin' Frenzy, Floating Dragon, Gates of Olympus, Halloween Fortune, Legacy of Dead, Moon Princess Christmas Kingdom, Royal Cashpot, Valhall Gold, Witches Cash Collect and Witches Riches Slots.

Understanding PokerStars Casino Bonus Terms & Wagering Requirements

Casino Instant Bonus (and any winnings from stakes placed using the bonus) expires 7 days from issue if wagering requirements aren't met. Free Spins expire 7 days after being credited. Players must earn 5 redemption points per £1 of Casino Instant Bonus awarded before expiry to convert the Casino Instant Bonus into withdrawable cash. Free Spins can only be used on selected slots and cannot be exchanged for cash or Free Spins on other games.

PokerStars Casino Games: Slots, Live Dealer & Table Games Review

Our PokerStars Casino review found them to be a solid casino operator. In addition to the poker games on offer, they now provide a good selection of casino games.

PokerStars offers a range of casino games for players to explore and choose from. The platform provides a secure gaming experience with various popular games available. Well-known games are accessible with a few clicks, providing a casino experience from home. Their selection includes online Slots, customer support, and responsible gaming tools for players worldwide.

Complete PokerStars Casino Games Library:

Live casino
Slot games
Online casino
Instant win
Races
Table games
Game shows

PokerStars Live Casino UK: 24/7 Real Dealer Action

PokerStars offers live casino games around the clock. These include blackjack, roulette, game shows, poker games, baccarat, and sic bo.

Online Blackjack at PokerStars: Multiple Variants & Stakes

Whether you're new to the game or an experienced player, PokerStars offers blackjack options. With various game variants available, players can find options to suit their preferences.

The platform has added variants to the classic game to enhance the experience. You'll find games suited to different budgets. Real money Blackjack is available across multiple variants. This popular card and table game offers the potential for returns.

PokerStars Mobile Casino App: Play Anywhere, Anytime

Play Blackjack, Roulette, Live Casino and Slots games on your iOS or Android phone and tablet using their Mobile app. This allows you to continue playing whilst at home or on the move. Simply download the Mobile app for iOS or Android to access the games.

PokerStars Poker UK: £400 Welcome Bonus & Tournament Action

PokerStars Poker Bonus: 100% Match Up to £400

PokerStars offers new players a 100% matched deposit bonus worth up to £400 for poker.

There are also separate sign-up offers for PokerStars sports and casino games. You can claim a £40 welcome bonus for sports and access the casino welcome offer mentioned above.

PokerStars Rewards: Loyalty Programme with up to 60% rakeback

PokerStars Rewards allows existing players to opt in for various prizes. Depending on your reward level, you can receive a 15% to 60% refund on rake and tournament fees.

You must earn Rewards Points to progress through the reward levels. For every £1 paid in fees for scheduled tournaments, you earn 130 reward points. While this requires regular play, it's a reasonable rewards programme for frequent players.

pokerstars rewards and loyalty program UK

PokerStars betting markets overview

Unlike most poker-focused sites, PokerStars also offers sports betting and casino games through separate apps alongside their main poker application.

Having three distinct gaming areas, all maintained to a good standard, positions PokerStars as a comprehensive gambling operator. Below is what we found regarding their sports betting and casino offerings.

Sports betting markets available

Football
Basketball
Tennis
Baseball
Darts
Horse racing
Golf
American football
Australian rules
Basketball
Baseball
Cricket
Boxing
Darts
Esports
Athletics
Football
Futsal
Cycling
Gaelic Games
Ice hockey
Handball
Horse racing
Olympics
Hockey
Motorsport
Politics
Mixed Martial Arts
Volleyball
Rugby league
Rugby union
Snooker
Water polo
Tennis
Table tennis

Sports Betting

While PokerStars Sports doesn’t specialise in one particular sport, our review found good offerings in cricket, football and tennis.
Cricket features enhanced odds, bet builders and markets like their multibets section. The majority of their enhanced odds appear to favour football and tennis.

PokerStars sports betting overview

PokerStars mobile app review

PokerStars has three apps you can download, and you can get your hands on the PokerStars Sports Betting app, PokerStars Casino app, and PokerStars Play: Texas Hold’em app. Each app was easy to download, and none had any bugs or negatives worth mentioning.

Before completing the PokerStars download, we had a comprehensive read of PokerStars reviews across the Google Play Store and App Store. What makes these apps so great is that when you download each of the three, you are greeted with a ‘personalised lobby option’, which allows you to create a homepage better suited to yourself.

However, the loading speeds differed from app to app, with PokerStars Play: Texas Hold’em taking a little longer, likely because it is the most popular and most used of the three. Nevertheless, finding a game didn’t take long, and it ran quite well.

pokerstars casino app

The PokerStars Sports Betting app is also excellent. With a banner at the top and one at the bottom, everything is laid out easily for you, and you won’t have any issues finding the sports you want, your current bets, and the latest promotions. What’s more, like the other two apps, everything ran smoothly.

Finally, the PokerStars Casino app is wonderfully laid out. Each of the above-listed casino options has its own page, and a banner at the bottom provides easy access to depositing and withdrawing quickly and an overview of your My Rewards section.

PokerStars app platform	User-ratings	Number of reviews
Google Play Store	4.2/5	15.3k
Apple Store	4.5/5	54k

Banking options available

Deposits methods

Here is a list of the deposit methods you can use with PokerStars:

Methods	Fees	Minimum	Maximum	Speed Processing
Visa & Mastercard	Free	£10	None	Instant
Trustly	Free	£10	None	Instant
Neosurf	Free	£10	None	Instant
Apple Pay	Free	£10	None	Instant
GPay	Free	£10	None	Instant
Google Pay	Free	£10	None	Instant
Maestro	Free	£10	None	Instant
MuchBetter	Free	£10	None	Instant
PaySafeCard	Free	£10	None	Instant
Neteller	Free	£10	None	Instant
PayPal	Free	£10	None	Instant
Skrill	Free	£10	None	Instant

Withdrawals methods

Below are the withdrawal methods you can use with PokerStars.

Methods	Fees	Minimum	Maximum	Speed Processing
Visa or Mastercard	Free	£1	None	Same day
MuchBetter	Free	£1	None	Same day
PayPal	Free	£1	None	Same day
Luxon Pay	Free	£1	None	Same day
NETELLER	Free	£1	None	Same day
Skrill	Free	£1	None	Same day
Direct bank transfer	Free	£1	None	1-5 days
Wire transfer	Free	£1	None	1-5 days
Apple Pay	Free	£1	None	Same day
Google Pay	Free	£1	None	Same day
GPay	Free	£1	None	1-5 days

Safety and trustworthiness

A secure network is crucial when playing with an online casino or sportsbook. We would never recommend an operator that doesn’t keep your personal information secure, and you can be sure that PokerStars is faultless with their security.

The UK Gambling Commission published a customer funds rating system for their licensees a few years back, and PokerStars received a rating of ‘High’. PokerStars also ensures all player funds are kept in an independently managed trust account with your funds managed by an FSA-regulated fund manager.

What’s more, Gaming Labs International has also tested and certified all of its games to ensure they use a random number generator when shuffling and spinning.

PokerStars can certainly be trusted and have excellent security methods to ensure all your funds and personal information is safe.

PokerStars License

Not just within our PokerStars casino review or PokerStars UK review, but all our reviews ensure every operator has a legal license. Player protection is vital, and to ensure absolute protection, an operator must have a legal gambling license. PokerStars is regulated and licensed by the UK Gambling Commission and has held this license since 2005 under license number 39108.

PokerStars External Sources Reviews

To ensure you’re getting the most out of this PokerStars review, we have reviewed more than one review across Trustpilot, Google Play Store, Reddit, and the App Store.

Source	Positive	Negative
Trustpilot	“Patient. Thorough. CSR took her time talking me through a verification process. After I figured out how to get the right screenshot to her, my withdrawal method was verified within 2 minutes.”	“I can’t express how disappointed I am with pokerstars. I put in $4,800 and expected some returns, but instead, I’ve been ignored. Their lack of communication is infuriating.”
Reddit	“Pokerstars is safer than pretty much any other option and has the strongest security team in the industry.”	“I left PokerStars last year and moved to GGPoker. Depending on the time of day there are more cash players online.”
Google Play Store	“I’ve been using pokerstars for a few years now, and although good in some respects, it’s becoming unplayable if you’re a serious poker player.”	“The best poker training you can get!!!! There is help and advice for all levels and if your any good, there’s some of the world’s best pros to actually play against.”
Apple Store	“I hope this review helps others that are interested in playing online poker or at least beginning to play online poker. For me there’s no other site better for it.”	“This app updated a number of times in the last month or so. It’s now not functioning properly so often and costing money. It takes an age to log in now, if it logs you in at all.”

PokerStars history: From 2001 Poker pioneer to multi-gaming platform

PokeStars has been around for over twenty years. The company began operations in 2001 in Costa Rica and has since moved to its headquarters in Dublin, Ireland.

PokerStars started out initially as a poker operator only. However, they have since moved into PokerStars sports and also offer casino games outside of poker, including blackjack, baccarat, slots, and much more.

According to its website, since its founding in 2001, PokerStars has become the most well-known and largest real-money online poker site in the world.

A PokerStars online satellite tournament from GGPoker famously produced the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) champion, Chris Moneymaker. This changed how poker was seen and operated worldwide, as he became the first-ever champion to qualify and win the WSOP after qualifying through an online poker site.

World series of poker tournament online

As a result of this, plus the many awards they have won, and the celebrity faces helping promote the PokerStars brand, PokerStars has become arguably the most reputable poker service out there.

PokerStars customer support

Although PokerStars UK has customer service support available, there is no phone number or contact form to use. Nevertheless, there are a variety of ways you can contact PokerStars UK on a 24/7 basis, including live chat.

Phone: N/A
Email: [email protected]
Contact form: N/A
Twitter (X): @PokerStars
Live chat: Yes – 24/7

PokerStars Responsible Gambling: Player Protection Tools

PokerStars is committed to enforcing responsible gambling and protecting players who are at risk of the potential negative effects of gambling.

PokerStars allows players to commit to a self-exclusion period or close their accounts permanently. You can also input deposit limits across their sportsbook, casino and poker games.

Anyone struggling with gambling and wanting to seek help, please look at the following services:

www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk
www.gamcare.org.uk or their UK helpline 0808 8020 133
www.gamblingtherapy.org
www.gambleaware.co.uk or their helpline 0808 8020 133
www.gamstop.co.uk

PokerStars review verdict: Is it worth playing in 2026?

PokerStars presents itself as a multi-product gaming platform that extends well beyond its poker origins. The operator offers a reasonable selection of casino games, sports betting options, and poker variants across multiple platforms.

The casino welcome offer of a 100% bonus up to £500 plus 50 free spins via the Pokerstars sign up offer provides decent value for new players, though the wagering requirements and game restrictions should be considered. The poker platform remains solid with regular tournaments and a functional rewards programme for frequent players.

The mobile apps are generally well-designed and offer good functionality across poker, casino, and sports betting. The banking options are varied with reasonable processing times, and the security measures appear adequate for an operator of this size.

Customer support is available 24/7 through live chat and email, though the lack of phone support may be inconvenient for some users. The responsible gambling tools are appropriate and the platform holds a valid UK Gambling Commission licence.

Overall, PokerStars offers a reasonable multi-product gaming experience. While it may not excel in any single area, the combination of poker heritage, casino games, and sports betting options provides a decent variety for players seeking an all-in-one platform. The platform is suitable for both casual players and those seeking more regular gaming activity, though serious poker players might find better options elsewhere depending on their specific preferences.

Updated April 1, 2026

Grant McQuillan

Grant is a British sports writer based in America and was previously content head for Footy Accumulators. He has been covering football, boxing and MMA since leaving university in 2019 with a degree in Multimedia Sports Journalism.