Red Dead 2 Online's New Poker Game is Blocked in Certain Countries

For as long as Rockstar has been making online modes for their biggest games, people have been asking for the option to gamble. Red Dead Online's latest update gives them exactly that, for most people at least.

The latest update to Red Dead Redemption 2 has added a number of fan-requested ideas. This included things like bug fixes, ponchos, and item balancing. It also included the ability to play poker with other players. But the feature is not available everywhere. Depending on the area you live in, poker might be disabled.

This isn't a bug, but the forced hand of local legislation. According to an email by Rockstar Support, reported on by Kotaku, it was a legal issue:
 

Thank you for contacting Rockstar Support.

We certainly understand your concern regarding not being able to play poker. We appreciate your interest in using this feature in the game.

We are sorry to let you know that the availability of Poker in Red Dead Online is dependent on regional laws and regulations and may not be available to all players. In short, poker won't be available in countries where online gambling is restricted or illegal. We apologize if this had caused any inconvenience.

For any new updates, we recommend staying tuned to @RockstarGames on Twitter and Rockstargames.com/newswire.

Your understanding is much appreciated, and please do not hesitate to reach out in the future if you are having technical issues with any of our titles.

Best regards,
Diana A.
Rockstar Support

The idea of gambling in video games not being allowed in certain countries isn't too outlandish. But various users are claiming that this doesn't align with their home country. Argentinian users have claimed that there are plenty of digital poker games that use real money in their country, but that the poker option remains blocked.

Technically, there isn't a connection to real-world money in Red Dead's poker game. While users can use real-world cash to purchase gold bars, those bars cannot be redeemed for game money, which is used in the poker matches. But it wouldn't surprise us if Rockstar is just playing it safe.

People have been begging for an online poker mini-game since Grand Theft Auto 5 Online, where the local casino was left entirely untouched. Perhaps complications like this were why it was ignored for so long.