Is Gambling Legal in the UAE? The August 2026 Answer, Game by Game

Last updated: 7 August 2026

Gambling is legal in the UAE, but only inside a licensed system that did not exist three years ago. The federal regulator, the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), now licenses a national lottery, an online casino and sportsbook, and the country's first casino resort, while everything outside that system remains a criminal offence. This page answers the legality question one product at a time, because the answer genuinely differs for casinos, betting, the lottery and online play.

Key takeaways

• Licensed gambling is legal in the UAE; unlicensed gambling is a criminal offence under the Penal Code, punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to AED 50,000.
• The UAE Lottery, run by The Game LLC, is the country's only licensed lottery and is open to players aged 18 and over physically inside the UAE.
• Sports betting and online casino games are legal only through Play971, which requires players to be 21 or over, hold an Emirates ID, and sit inside a permitted emirate. Dubai is geoblocked as of June 2026.
• No casino is open yet. Wynn Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah, the only land-based licensee, will open in September 2027, Wynn confirmed on 4 August 2026.
• Tourists can legally buy Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free raffle tickets but cannot register with the licensed online platforms.
• A VPN changes nothing legally. Licensed platforms block VPNs and can void winnings; offshore sites are illegal with or without one.

Is gambling legal in the UAE?

Yes, if it is licensed. The GCGRA, established in September 2023, is the sole federal authority for commercial gaming, and it now licenses operators across lottery, internet gaming, sports wagering and land-based casinos. There are no emirate-level gaming regulators; a GCGRA licence is the only legal basis for offering gambling anywhere in the country.

One recent change sharpened the line. On 1 June 2026, the new Civil Transactions Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025) deleted the old civil code chapter that had treated every betting agreement as void, so licensed gaming contracts are enforceable under ordinary contract law for the first time. The Penal Code's ban on unlicensed gambling was not touched. Our explainer on the 1 June 2026 gambling contracts change has the legal detail, and what is legal in UAE gaming right now keeps a running list of who holds which licence.

Is the lottery legal in Dubai and the UAE?

Yes. The UAE Lottery, operated by The Game LLC under a GCGRA licence granted on 28 July 2024, is the country's sole licensed lottery, and the federal licence covers every emirate including Dubai. The regulator's 9 December 2024 warning named it the only lottery licence in the country and ordered every other lottery to shut, with two exceptions covered below.

• Players must be 18 or over and physically inside the UAE. Lucky Day tickets cost Dh50 and draws run every Wednesday and Saturday at 9:30pm; tickets are also sold at three Dubai ADNOC stations.
• Big Ticket in Abu Dhabi and Dubai Duty Free's Millennium Millionaire are pre-existing airport raffles specifically authorised to continue under GCGRA supervision. They are legal too, and they are the two draws visitors can enter most easily.

The full mechanics are in our UAE Lottery rules explained and our profile of The Game LLC's licence.

Is sports betting legal in the UAE?

Yes, through exactly one operator. Play971, run by Coin Technology Projects LLC, is the only company on the GCGRA register for sports wagering, and it launched football betting on 5 June 2026 ahead of the World Cup, becoming the UAE's first licensed online sportsbook in live use. Every other sportsbook serving UAE customers is unlicensed.

The conditions are strict. Players must be 21 or over, register with an Emirates ID, and be physically in the UAE with location services enabled. Availability is set emirate by emirate: as of June 2026 the platform was confirmed live in Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah, while Dubai remained geoblocked, with the operator saying expansion depends on local approvals. Our Play971 World Cup betting explainer covers the sportsbook in detail.

Is online casino gambling legal in the UAE?

Yes, again through the same single licensee. Coin Technology Projects LLC is the only company on the GCGRA register for internet gaming, and its Play971 platform carries slots, table games and live dealer tables alongside the sportsbook. Its sister brand TrueWin is run by the same licensed company, though the GCGRA register names companies rather than brands and has never confirmed TrueWin by name, a caveat our TrueWin explainer sets out.

The same 21-and-over, Emirates ID and location rules apply, and the same Dubai geoblock. Anything else offering online casino games to players in the UAE, from offshore sites to social-media apps, is unlicensed and illegal.

Is there a legal casino in Dubai or the UAE?

Not yet, anywhere in the country. No casino floor is operating in the UAE as of August 2026, in Dubai or elsewhere. The only land-based gaming facility licensee on the public register is Island 3 AMI FZ-LLC, the entity behind Wynn Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah, which received the first commercial gaming facility licence on 4 October 2024.

Wynn announced on 4 August 2026 that the US$5.1 billion resort will open in September 2027, putting a firm month on a timeline that had slipped from spring 2027 after a conflict-related construction pause. When it opens, the UAE's first casino will be in Ras Al Khaimah, roughly an hour's drive from Dubai, not in Dubai itself. MGM's casino application for Abu Dhabi, filed in September 2024, remains undecided. See our Wynn Al Marjan opening date explainer, the casino resort profile, and our answer to whether there is a casino in Dubai in 2026.

Can tourists gamble in the UAE?

Partly. Visitors aged 18 and over can legally buy tickets for the two airport raffles, Big Ticket in Abu Dhabi and Dubai Duty Free's Millennium Millionaire in Dubai, both at airport counters and online, and past winners include people who bought from abroad. That is where the visitor options end today.

The licensed online platforms are closed to tourists: Play971 and TrueWin require an Emirates ID for registration, and the UAE Lottery is built around residency and local ID verification. When Wynn Al Marjan opens in 2027, reports indicate tourists and expat residents will be admitted to the gaming areas, but the GCGRA has yet to publish final entry rules, so treat that as reported rather than confirmed. Our guide to whether tourists can gamble in the UAE goes through each option.

Does a VPN make online gambling legal in the UAE?

No. A VPN changes what your connection looks like, not what the law says, and unlicensed gambling is a criminal offence in the UAE whatever tool you use to reach the site.

On the licensed side, a VPN does not even work. Play971 requires your device to share its precise location and instructs users to disable VPNs and proxies; attempting to bypass the geolocation checks can void winnings and lead to account restrictions. On the unlicensed side, the GCGRA warns that consumers who use offshore operators risk fraud, unpaid winnings, stolen data and possible implication in a criminal investigation. VPN gambling in the UAE is either futile, against the platform's terms, or illegal, and often all three.

What gambling is still a crime in the UAE?

Everything without a GCGRA licence. The Penal Code (Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021, Article 460) punishes gambling outside the licensed system with up to two years' imprisonment or a fine of up to AED 50,000, and the regulator is blunt that commercial gaming without its licence is illegal for operators and potentially for players. That covers offshore casino and betting sites targeting UAE residents, unlicensed apps, and anyone facilitating them, including advertisers and payment processors.

Two former operators sit in a separate category: Mahzooz and Emirates Draw were never licensed by the GCGRA and have been suspended since January 2024, with no announced path back. Our guide on how to spot unlicensed gaming offers lists the warning signs, and since 10 March 2026 Google has accepted UAE gambling ads only from GCGRA-licensed operators, so the ads you see openly are themselves a rough proxy for who is inside the system.

FAQ

Is gambling legal in Dubai specifically? The same federal rules apply in Dubai as everywhere else: the UAE Lottery and the airport raffles are legal, while Play971, although licensed, is geoblocked in the emirate as of June 2026. No casino operates in Dubai, and none is licensed to.

What is the legal gambling age in the UAE? Eighteen for the UAE Lottery and the airport raffles, and 21 for the licensed online casino and sportsbook platforms.

Can I be prosecuted for playing on an offshore casino site? Yes. The GCGRA warns that consumers using unlicensed operators may face penalties, and the Penal Code criminalises participation in unlicensed gambling, with up to two years in prison or a fine of up to AED 50,000.

Is Mahzooz or Emirates Draw legal now? Neither is operating. Both suspended in January 2024 during the shift to GCGRA regulation and have no announced return date; any draw using those names today is not the licensed national lottery.

When can I walk into a legal casino in the UAE? In September 2027, when Wynn Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah opens, per Wynn's announcement of 4 August 2026. It will be the country's first and only casino.

Further reading

• What is legal in UAE gaming right now
• Can tourists gamble in the UAE?
• Gambling contracts enforceable from 1 June 2026
• UAE Lottery rules explained
• Is there a casino in Dubai in 2026?

Sources

• GCGRA, official site and licensee register: https://www.gcgra.gov.ae/en/licensing/our-licensees/
• GCGRA, "Warning Against Unlicensed Lottery and Gaming Operators", 9 December 2024: https://www.gcgra.gov.ae/en/news/press-releases/december-2024-press-release-gcgra-issues-warning-against-unlicensed-lottery-and-gaming-operators/
• GCGRA, Consumer Advisory Notice: https://www.gcgra.gov.ae/en/news/gcgra-consumer-advisory-notice/gcgra-consumer-advisory-notice/
• GCGRA, "The GCGRA Awards License for UAE Lottery", 28 July 2024: https://www.gcgra.gov.ae/en/news/press-releases/july-2024-press-release-the-gcgra-awards-license-for-uae-lottery/
• Greenberg Traurig, "UAE Civil Code Gambling Provisions Removed", January 2026: https://www.gtlaw.com/en/insights/2026/1/uae-civil-code-gambling-provisions-removed
• Focus Gaming News, "UAE to remove gambling provisions from civil code from June 2026", 19 April 2026: https://focusgn.com/uae/uae-to-remove-gambling-provisions-from-civil-code-from-june-2026
• Khaleej Times, "Play971 UAE: full guide to access, sports wagering and restrictions", 6 June 2026: https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/play971-uae-full-guide-to-access-sports-wagering-and-restrictions
• Khaleej Times, "UAE's Play971 launches football wagers ahead of World Cup", 5 June 2026: https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/play971-access-football-fans-wager-international-matches
• Casino.org, "Wynn Says UAE Casino Will Open in September 2027", 4 August 2026: https://www.casino.org/news/wynn-says-uae-casino-will-open-in-september-2027/
• CMS, "Playing by New Rules: The Introduction of the Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority in the UAE": https://cms.law/en/omn/legal-updates/playing-by-new-rules-the-introduction-of-the-commercial-gaming-regulatory-authority-in-the-uae
• Big Ticket Help Desk, eligibility: https://bigticket-org.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/folders/64000111141
• Dubai Duty Free, official site: https://www.dubaidutyfree.com/
• The UAE Lottery, official FAQ: https://www.theuaelottery.ae/faq?key=FAQs
• 15M, "Google turns UAE gambling ads into a licensed-only channel", 14 April 2026: https://15m.com/news/google-turns-uae-gambling-ads-into-a-licensed-only-channel/