UAE Gambling Laws: Is Online Gambling Legal in Dubai and the UAE?

Gambling in the UAE is lawful only through an operator licensed by the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA). Playing with an unlicensed operator — online or in person — is illegal, and the Crimes and Penalties Law punishes it with up to two years in prison or a fine of up to AED 50,000.

That one sentence replaces the old answer, which was simply “no”. Since 2023, commercial gaming in the UAE has been regulated at federal level by the GCGRA, which licenses lottery, internet gaming, sports wagering and land-based gaming facilities across all seven Emirates. The question is therefore never “is gambling legal?” in the abstract, but which activity, run by which operator, under which licence.

Two points run through everything on this page. First, being able to open a casino website or install an app from the UAE is not the same as that operator being allowed to offer gambling here. Second, an operator’s status should always be checked against official sources — above all the GCGRA’s own list of licensees — rather than against what a website says about itself. Last reviewed: 12 October 2026.

Gambling Laws in the UAE

For decades, UAE law treated gambling as a criminal offence with no licensed exception. The current rules are set by the Crimes and Penalties Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021), which came into force on 2 January 2022 and replaced the Penal Code of 1987. Its gambling chapter is short:

What changed in 2023 is that the federal government created a licensed route alongside that prohibition. The GCGRA, established by Federal Law by Decree and headquartered in Abu Dhabi, holds exclusive jurisdiction to regulate, license and supervise all commercial gaming in the UAE. Activity under a GCGRA licence is authorised; activity outside it is not.

A second change is often misread. On 1 June 2026 the new Civil Transactions Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025) came into force without the old civil code’s articles on gambling and betting debts (Articles 1012–1021). Those were civil rules about whether gambling debts could be enforced. Removing them did not touch the criminal articles above, and it did not legalise unlicensed gambling.

Is Online Gambling Legal in the UAE?

Only with a GCGRA-licensed operator. The GCGRA’s definition of internet gaming covers games of chance or skill offered through websites or apps on any device — casino games, bingo, eSports, fantasy and peer-to-peer games among them — and it states that any commercial gaming conducted in the UAE without a licence is illegal, adding that this includes “persons who play unlicensed games”.

In practice that gives four situations:

• GCGRA-licensed online operator — authorised. Today that means one company, listed below.
• Unlicensed operator targeting the UAE — not authorised, for the operator or the player.
• International operator licensed abroad — its licence may be genuine where it was issued, but it is not UAE authorisation.
• A site you can simply reach — accessibility proves nothing. A website loading in Dubai is a technical fact, not a legal one.

Are Online Casinos Legal in the UAE?

An online casino is “internet gaming” in GCGRA terms, so the same rule applies: it is lawful only under a GCGRA internet gaming licence. On the GCGRA’s register, the only internet gaming licensee is Coin Technology Projects LLC, which operates the Play971 platform. It went live on 15 December 2025 for players who are 21 or over and physically in the UAE.

Every other online casino available from the UAE — including the international brands reviewed on this site — sits outside that licence. We list those operators for the licences they do hold abroad, and we never describe them as licensed or authorised in the UAE.

What Is the GCGRA?

The General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority is the federal body for commercial gaming in the UAE. According to the authority itself, it:

• regulates — sets the policies, regulations and technical standards for the industry;
• licenses — is the sole authority that can issue commercial gaming licences in the UAE;
• supervises and investigates — monitors licensees and imposes administrative penalties where standards are not met;
• prevents financial crime — oversees anti-money-laundering compliance in the gaming sector;
• enforces — takes action against unlicensed operators and receives public complaints.

It regulates four activities: lottery, internet gaming, sports wagering and land-based gaming facilities. Its chairman is Jim Murren, and on 9 June 2026 it appointed Ciarán Carruthers, formerly chief executive of Crown Resorts, as its CEO.

Licensed Gaming Operators in the UAE

These are the operators on the GCGRA’s register of licensees, as published by the authority (register snapshot of 30 August 2026, checked 12 October 2026):

The GCGRA awarded the lottery licence to The Game LLC on 28 July 2024, and states it is the only lottery licence under its framework. Two long-running airport lotteries — Big Ticket and the Dubai Duty Free draws — were allowed to continue under GCGRA supervision; the authority ordered other pre-existing lotteries to close. Wynn Al Marjan is an integrated resort under construction on Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah, expected to open in September 2027 (see our Wynn Al Marjan Island tracker); there is no licensed casino in Dubai. The register also lists 22 gaming-related vendors — suppliers of games and technology, not consumer-facing operators.

Types of Commercial Gaming Licences

The GCGRA grants five categories of licence:

A licence covers a specific activity. That is why the register lists Coin Technology Projects twice — once for internet gaming, once for sports wagering. A lottery or land-based licence does not authorise online casino games, and a supplier’s vendor licence does not authorise it to take bets from the public.

Licensed vs Unlicensed Online Casinos

The GCGRA’s consumer advisory lists the risks of playing with unlicensed operators: no legal recourse for unfair treatment or non-payment, manipulated outcomes, fraud and misuse of personal data, malware and phishing, and being caught up in a regulatory or criminal investigation.

International Casinos and UAE Players

Many online casinos that accept players from the UAE are licensed by regulators such as the Malta Gaming Authority, the UK Gambling Commission or Curaçao. Those licences can be entirely genuine — and they matter, because they set the rules the operator follows on game fairness, player funds and complaints in that jurisdiction.

What they do not do is authorise gambling in the UAE. No foreign licence is recognised as a substitute for a GCGRA licence, so playing with these operators from the UAE remains outside the law, whatever their standing elsewhere. That is the basis on which this site works: we review international casinos for the licences they actually hold, and we say plainly that none of them is licensed in the UAE. Using a VPN to reach them adds a separate risk — the UAE’s cybercrime law (Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021, Article 10) punishes using a false IP address to commit a crime or avoid its discovery with a fine of AED 500,000 to AED 2,000,000, imprisonment, or both.

Sports Betting Laws in the UAE

Sports wagering is a separate licensed activity under the GCGRA, covering bets on football, cricket, horse racing, tennis and other sports placed through licensed bookmakers. The only sports wagering licensee is Coin Technology Projects LLC (Play971). Betting with any other bookmaker from the UAE falls under the same rules as unlicensed casino play.

Who Can Access Licensed Online Gaming?

The conditions below are those applied by Play971, the only licensed online operator. We do not extend them to the rest of the market.

• Age: 21 or over.
• Location: physically inside the UAE, and outside areas the GCGRA designates as sensitive.
• Emirate rules: UAE citizens must also follow the requirements of their emirate of residence.
• Identity: licensees operate under the UAE’s anti-money-laundering laws, which the GCGRA supervises in the gaming sector — so expect your identity to be verified.

Player Protection and Responsible Gambling

Responsible gaming is part of the GCGRA’s stated mandate, and the authority describes its framework as giving consumers “a comprehensive set of tools to monitor and manage their gaming activity”. Play971 offers deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion, with self-exclusion lasting a minimum of six months, during which the player cannot bet or deposit. International operators provide their own versions of these tools under the rules of their own regulator — but without UAE oversight. If gambling is causing you or someone close to you difficulty, confidential support is available at BeGambleAware.

How to Check an Online Casino Licence

If an operator is not on the GCGRA register, it is not licensed in the UAE, whatever badges it displays. The GCGRA asks the public to report unlicensed operators through the complaints form on its website or at enforcement@gcgra.gov.ae.

UAE Gambling Regulation Updates

• 2023 — the GCGRA is established by Federal Law by Decree.
• 28 July 2024 — The Game LLC receives the UAE’s lottery licence.
• 9 December 2024 — the GCGRA issues a consumer warning against unlicensed lottery and gaming operators.
• 15 December 2025 — Play971 goes live as the first licensed online gaming and sports wagering platform.
• 1 June 2026 — the new Civil Transactions Law takes effect without the old civil articles on gambling debts.
• 9 June 2026 — Ciarán Carruthers is appointed CEO of the GCGRA.

We update this page when the GCGRA register, the law or the authority’s guidance changes.

Official Sources

• GCGRA — Our Licensees (official register)
• GCGRA — Licence Types
• GCGRA — Activities We Regulate
• GCGRA — Risks of Engaging in Illegal Gaming Activities
• UAE Legislation — Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021 (Crimes and Penalties Law)

This page provides general information about UAE gaming regulation and is not legal advice. Regulations and licensing status can change, so check the latest information from the GCGRA and official UAE sources before acting on it.

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