A regulator, but not for online casinos
The General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority was set up in 2023 with a mandate over commercial gaming such as lotteries and planned resort projects. Apart from those announced projects, there are no casino halls in practice. As far as we know the authority has licensed no online casino for residents, so any casino site found through a search engine is an offshore service without local approval.
Reports that gambling has been legalised usually grow out of the lottery news. A licensed national lottery is one narrow category; online casinos are outside it, and visitors are bound by the same law as residents.
Federal criminal law
Gambling is an offence under federal criminal law in a legal order shaped by Sharia. The Federal Penal Code contains the gambling offences, and the federal cybercrime law is generally read as covering the use of the internet to run or promote gambling. Reported penalties include fines and prison, and non-citizens can be deported. The current official texts give the exact provisions.
Blocks, banks and VPN rules
The telecoms regulator blocks gambling sites and keeps adding new addresses to its list. Banks and card issuers often refuse gambling transactions and may ask the customer for an explanation. An offshore casino can close the account or hold back winnings when its terms exclude the country or the documents do not match the details given, and there is no local licensing body to hear a complaint.
Hiding a location with a VPN leaves the legal status of gambling unchanged, and UAE law has its own rules on using a VPN to commit an offence. The VPN guide covers the legal side and describes no workaround.
Help, and what the reviews here are
Gambling is for adults, and for some it gets out of control. Gambling Therapy gives online help, including in Arabic, and Gamblers Anonymous publishes lists of its meetings. The responsible gambling guide explains limits and self-exclusion, and the overview of legality in the region puts the UAE in context.
The offshore operators in our casino reviews are covered as information: each review records a casino's stated licence and terms and does not suggest that a person in the UAE may lawfully use it.
Common questions
Is online casino gambling legal in the UAE?
No. Gambling is prohibited under federal law, and online casinos are not licensed for residents. A lottery licence does not extend to online casinos.
Are UAE casinos coming?
A federal gaming regulator exists and resort projects have been announced, but those are land-based plans and do not change the position of online casinos.
What can happen to a player in the UAE?
The risks include blocked websites, bank refusals, closed accounts and legal penalties, and foreign residents can face deportation.
Does an offshore licence make an online casino legal in the UAE?
No. A foreign licence regulates the operator in the country that issued it and does not authorise service to UAE residents.