Dublin Casino

1) "Fitz" as a symbol of the metropolitan scene

For sixteen years, The Fitzwilliam Card Club remained the heart of Dublin poker life - tournament nets, cash games, evenings until dawn. In December 2019, the club announced an immediate closure, explaining the decision as a "legal risk" due to updated legislation on games and lotteries; about 80 employees lost their jobs.

The context was the adoption of the Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Act 2019: the amendments tightened the framework for local gaming activities and actually narrowed the corridor for the activities of a number of private clubs in the same form. It was these changes that the Fitz management referred to when closing.

2) What appeared instead: private "members-only" clubs

• Dublin Poker Club & Casino (Fairview) - evening/night mode, cash and tournaments, roulette/blackjack/Punto Banco; positioned as the "premier club" of the city.
• D1 Club Casino is a club model with a mix of tables, slots and poker.
• Carlton Casino Club (O'Connell St.) is another example of a members-only venue in the center.

It is important to understand: such places are not "casinos" in the British sense - access through a member's questionnaire/card, moderate marketing, internal regulations and age control. The abundance of "night" hours and live formats is the answer to the steady metropolitan demand. (Confirmed by club directories and public pages.)

3) How the visit works: player rules and expectations

Membership and KYC. At the entrance - questionnaire and ID check (18 +). Some clubs have a "cooling off period" between the pitch and the first visit.

Line of games. Tabletop (roulette, blackjack, sometimes baccarat), poker (cash + tournaments), the part has a slot room.

Responsible play. Self-exclusion options, time/visit limits, security service operation.

Finance. Specify payment/commission limits; serious sites keep SLA for cashout and prescribe the procedure for resolving disputes.

4) Why the clubs format holds up

In the absence of a full-fledged "casino license" at the national level, private clubs are a compromise between demand and law. They allow you to preserve the live experience and infrastructure of dealer studios, while remaining outside the direct public model. Before the "big reform," it was a working balance for Dublin and Cork (typical practice for Ireland before the launch of the new regulator).

5) What changes with reform: GRAI and new architecture

• centralized licensing of B2C/B2B, a national register of self-exclusion, strict standards of advertising and payments, strong supervision and law enforcement (up to prescriptions and blocking).
• This means the gradual exit of clubs from the "gray" design to transparent licenses and the alignment of consumer protection standards.

6) A practical guide for the reader

If you are looking for poker and live tables in Dublin - look towards members-only clubs: pre-registration/ID is required.

Compare clubs by tournament grid, limits, payment regulations and RG tools; it is better to choose sites with a public schedule and active community moderation.

Remember that the regulatory environment is changing: with the deployment of GRAI, access, advertising and payment rules will be unified - this is a plus for security and transparency.

Bottom line. The history of The Fitzwilliam was a turning point: it closed the era of "large" old-style private halls and accelerated the transition to a new model. Today the Dublin scene rests on clubs by membership, and tomorrow it will receive uniform licenses and standards under GRAI. For the player, it's more clarity and protection; for the city - the preservation of a lively, but already modern regulated night game culture.