Gambling Illegal Uae
It is not a good idea to go gambling in the United Arab Emirates. As is typical of strictly Islamic countries, the U.A.E. prohibits all forms of gambling. Not only is it illegal to start any sort of gambling business, but it is also illegal to participate in games of chance. This means you may not play casino games, bet on sports or play poker.
Of course, some betting websites accept customers from the U.A.E. despite the country’s strong stance against gaming. If you’re willing to take the risk, there are a few sites that will accept your business. Just make sure you don’t get caught.
Despite Dubai believing in becoming a progressive city and embracing change, it’s not willing to do that at the cost of its Islamic culture. As such, gambling – as well as drinking. If you plan to visit Dubai and its many tourist attractions, such as the Burj Khalifa, you will not find any legal casinos, sports betting facilities, or card. Islamic countries like Brunei, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, among many others, have strict laws against gambling in any form. And in these countries the laws are targeted at not just the operators but players as well.
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None of these UAE betting sites openly advertise or go out of their way to attract customers from the country, but they will allow you to sign up for an account. You can then deposit via a range of deposit methods that may or may not work. You’ll need a bank account or access to certain types of prepaid gift cards to participate.
The Emirati dirham is not accepted by default but you may still deposit. What will happen is the gaming site will automatically exchange your currency for some other currency, usually euros or British pounds. Your account will be held in that currency until you withdraw. At that point, the money is converted back into dirhams and sent back to your bank account.
How real is the risk?
This is a hard question to answer definitively because the United Arab Emirates do not publish statistics on gambling-related arrests. The government actively censors the internet and supposedly blocks access to known gaming sites. What we don’t know is if there’s actually someone who monitors the internet and bank accounts to see if illegal online gambling is taking place.
On the other hand, we do know that the UAE has a cyber-crime unit that monitors the internet for violations of certain laws. Numerous people have been arrested by Emirati authorities for activities that take place online. The only news releases I can find relate to political activity (such as Tweeting about politics).
So in summary, we know the authorities have the capability and the will to monitor the internet and take action against political dissidents. We also know the authorities routinely crack down on illegal gambling dens in the real world. What’s unclear is whether or not any of this extends to online gambling in the UAE.
Gambling Laws in the UAE
Gambling is clearly outlawed in the United Arab Emirates. This goes for locals as well as tourists in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and everywhere else across the country. The UAE penal code defines gambling as:
“Gambling is a game in which each party agrees that if he loses, he will pay the party who wins the game an amount of money or anything else agreed upon.”
This leaves no wiggle room for any form of betting. If there is money or anything else of value on the line, it’s classified as gambling. The punishment for being caught is as follows:
“Whoever gambles shall be punished by detention for a maximum period of two years or by a fine not exceeding twenty thousand Dirhams. A penalty of detention or a fine shall be inflicted if the crime occurs in a public place, a place open to the public, or in a place or house prepared for gambling.”
We can safely assume that this code extends to the internet due to the government internet censorship program including gambling-related websites. No specific gaming sites are mentioned on the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) website, but it does have a category for “content that is relevant to gambling.”
Dubai: Hamdi Al Shiwi, a legal consultant and advocate, said the UAE is strict when it comes to illegal gambling. Doing so can lead to imprisonment up to three years, while running a gambling house can land perpetrators in jail for up to 10 years.
Al Shiwi said that foreign ships, airplanes or any other means of travel must abide by Emirati law while they are within UAE territory and, since gambling is prohibited by law, it shall be not practised even if a casino is available on a ship or a plane.
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Vessels must refrain from any gambling until they leave the UAE.
According to law No 414 of the UAE Penal Code - 'Each person who gambles is punished by imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or a fine not exceeding Dh20,000. The punishment shall be imprisonment or a fine if the crime occurred in a public place or a place open to the public or in a store or house prepared for gambling.'
Is Gambling Illegal In Uae
Al Shiwi added that a place that has been shut down for practising gambling shall not be reopened for any other activity, even if legal, without acquiring the approval of the Dubai Public Prosecution.