Lottery in Gulf Countries: Why the UAE Stands Alone, and Kuwait's Bank Draws

Last updated: 15 November 2026

Is there a lottery in Gulf countries? Among the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, the UAE is the only one with a licensed lottery: the UAE Lottery, run by The Game LLC under a federal licence, alongside two authorised airport draws. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman all treat gambling as a crime, and we found no licensed national lottery in any of them. The closest thing elsewhere is Kuwait's prize-linked bank accounts, where savers keep their money and the bank pays out the prizes.

Key takeaways

• The UAE's federal gaming regulator, the GCGRA, licenses one lottery operator, The Game LLC (the UAE Lottery). Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free are authorised to continue under its supervision.
• Qatar's Penal Code (Law No. 11 of 2004) defines gambling and sets prison terms of up to three months for gamblers and up to a year for anyone who runs a gambling venue.
• Oman's Penal Code punishes gambling with one to six months in prison and fines of OMR100 to OMR500, Gulf News reported in October 2026, after police arrested 13 people in Muscat over alleged gambling.
• Bahrain lists gambling under Article 308 of its 1976 Penal Code in a WTO notification. Saudi Arabia prohibits gambling under Islamic law, and Kuwaiti police have raided gambling dens.
• Kuwait's Gulf Bank runs the AlDanah Millionaire account, a savings product with prize draws. Its KD 1.5 million grand-prize draw is set for 4 February 2027, and deposits qualify until 30 November 2026.

Which Gulf countries have a lottery?

Only the UAE. Here is the country-by-country picture as of mid-November 2026:

Country — Licensed lottery? — Legal basis we could check

• UAE — Yes: UAE Lottery, plus Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free — GCGRA licence register
• Qatar — No — Penal Code, Law No. 11 of 2004, Articles 274–277
• Oman — No — Penal Code, Articles 289–290 (as reported by Gulf News)
• Bahrain — No — Penal Code, Law No. 15 of 1976, Article 308
• Saudi Arabia — No — Prohibited under Islamic law (as reported by Gulf News)
• Kuwait — No public lottery; bank prize-savings draws exist — Police enforcement; Gulf Bank AlDanah terms

A caution on sources: the Gulf states do not all publish official English translations of their criminal codes. We used the Qatari code's published English text, a WTO filing for Bahrain and mainstream news reporting for Oman, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Where we rely on a newspaper's summary of a law, we say so.

How does the UAE's lottery work when its neighbours ban gambling?

The UAE created a federal regulator. The General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) licenses commercial gaming nationwide, and its register, checked on 4 November 2026, lists one lottery licensee: "The Game LLC - Operator of the UAE Lottery". The same register lists a single land-based casino licensee (Wynn Al Marjan) and a single internet gaming and sports wagering licensee (Coin Technology Projects LLC).

The GCGRA's December 2024 warning set the boundaries. The Game's licence "is the only lottery license permitted" under its framework. Two older draws, Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free, described as airport lotteries operating for "approximately 30 years", were authorised to continue under GCGRA supervision. Every other pre-existing lottery was ordered to shut down. Mahzooz's website now says it "has permanently ceased operations", and Emirates Draw ceased UAE operations on 1 January 2024 to comply with the new GCGRA rules, Gulf News reported.

The UAE's carve-out is narrow. Gambling outside the licensed system is still a criminal offence. Our guide to the UAE Penal Code's gambling articles explains what remains illegal, and our comparison of the UAE Lottery, Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free covers the three legal draws.

Is there a lottery in Qatar?

No. Qatar's Penal Code, Law No. 11 of 2004, has a chapter on "Drinking, Gambling and Begging". In the published English translation:

• Article 274 defines gambling as any game in which gain and loss depend on luck "and not on controlled factors", with each party agreeing to pay the winner.
• Article 275: anyone who gambles faces up to three months in prison and/or a fine of up to QR3,000. This rises to six months and QR6,000 if the gambling happens in public, openly, or in a place set up for it.
• Article 276: anyone who opens or runs a gambling place, or organises gambling games in public, faces up to a year in prison and/or a fine of up to QR5,000.
• Article 277: the court confiscates the money and equipment and orders the premises closed.

Qatar has amended its Penal Code since 2004, and we have not checked every amendment. But the US Library of Congress was still citing Article 275 in September 2022, when it advised World Cup visitors that "gambling is prohibited in Qatar".

Is lottery legal in Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain?

Saudi Arabia. No. Gulf News, reporting the arrest of 17 expatriates for gambling in Riyadh in July 2020, stated that "gambling is strictly prohibited in Saudi Arabia under Islamic law". The suspects were referred to the Public Prosecution. We could not find an official English legal text setting out specific Saudi penalties for gambling, so we do not quote any.

Oman. No. On 26 October 2026, Gulf News reported that Oman police had arrested 13 Asian nationals for allegedly engaging in illegal gambling in Al Amerat, Muscat. According to the paper's summary of the Penal Code, Article 290 punishes gambling with one to six months in prison and a fine of OMR100 to OMR500, or either penalty. Article 289 sets three months to three years and fines of up to OMR1,000 for organising or running gambling venues. Money and equipment can be confiscated.

Bahrain. No. In a notification to the World Trade Organization, Bahrain cited its Penal Code (Law No. 15 of 1976, Article 308: Gambling) as the legal basis for banning imports of gambling slot machines, justified on public-morals grounds. Gulf News reported in 2018 that police in Manama had arrested 32 expatriates for gambling, and that gambling and betting were "strictly banned" in Bahrain.

Does Kuwait have a lottery?

Not a public one. Gulf News reported in 2018 that Kuwaiti police had taken legal action against 20 people arrested in an apartment gambling den, and in 2014 had raided an illegal casino in Salmiya.

What Kuwait does have is the prize-linked savings account, and it is worth understanding because it is often called "the Kuwait lottery". Gulf Bank's AlDanah Millionaire account is a savings account whose holders are entered into prize draws. According to Kuwait Times (23 September 2026):

• The minimum balance to enter all draws is KD 200.
• The KD 1.5 million grand-prize draw was moved to 4 February 2027, ahead of Ramadan, instead of 10 February.
• The deposit and qualification period was extended to 30 November 2026, from 30 September.
• Draws are supervised by audit firms RSM and Grant Thornton and broadcast live on the bank's social media.
• Customers can deposit and withdraw at any time. Chances rise with higher balances held for longer.

The key difference from a lottery: you never spend your stake. Your savings stay yours, and the real cost is whatever return the same money might have earned in another product.

What does this mean for Gulf residents who want to play?

The only legal lottery tickets in the GCC are sold in the UAE, by the three UAE operators. Buying from an unlicensed website that claims to be a "Gulf lottery" or a "Saudi lottery" carries the same risks as any unlicensed operator: no regulator, no guaranteed payout and possible criminal exposure where you live. Before buying any UAE ticket from outside the country, read the operator's own eligibility rules. Our guide to buying UAE lottery tickets online covers where each one sells, and our page on the "Emirates Lottery" prize scam explains the fake names circulating in the region.

Lotteries are a form of gambling with poor odds. If you play, set a budget, and see our responsible gambling help page if it stops feeling like entertainment.

FAQ

Which Gulf country has a legal lottery? Only the UAE, among the six GCC states. The UAE Lottery (The Game LLC) holds the sole lottery licence, and Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free are authorised to continue under GCGRA supervision.

Is there a lottery in Saudi Arabia? No. Gambling is prohibited in Saudi Arabia under Islamic law, as Gulf News has reported, and police arrest and prosecute people for gambling.

Is there a lottery in Qatar? No. Qatar's Penal Code punishes gambling with up to three months in prison and/or a fine of up to QR3,000, and running a gambling place with up to a year and/or QR5,000.

Is Kuwait's AlDanah account a lottery? It is a prize-linked savings account, not a ticket lottery. Customers keep their deposits and are entered into draws if they hold at least KD 200. The next KD 1.5 million grand-prize draw is on 4 February 2027.

Can I buy UAE lottery tickets from Saudi Arabia or Oman? Check each operator's own terms first, because the UAE operators set their own eligibility rules. Gambling is also a crime in both countries, so you carry the legal risk at home.

Further reading

• UAE Penal Code gambling articles 460–463 explained
• UAE Lottery vs Big Ticket vs Dubai Duty Free
• Can you buy UAE Lottery, Big Ticket or Duty Free tickets online?
• Is gambling legal in the UAE?
• The Game LLC and the UAE Lottery licence

Sources

• GCGRA, "Our Licensees" (read 4 November 2026): https://www.gcgra.gov.ae/en/licensing/our-licensees/
• GCGRA, "GCGRA Issues 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/
• Mahzooz, official website (read 4 November 2026): https://www.mahzooz.ae/
• Gulf News, "Emirates Draw reveals Dh100million lottery winner is Sriram Rajagopalan" (22 May 2025): https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india/emirates-draw-reveals-first-global-winner-of-dh100m-lottery-1.500137132
• State of Qatar, Law No. (11) of 2004 Penal Code, English translation (Police Human Rights Resources copy): https://policehumanrightsresources.org/content/uploads/2016/07/Penal-Code-Qatar-2004.pdf?x19059
• Library of Congress, In Custodia Legis, "Qatar: Domestic Laws issued in Relation to the 2022 World Cup – Part 2" (September 2022): https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2022/09/qatar-domestic-laws-issued-in-relation-to-the-2022-world-cup-part-2/
• Gulf News, "Oman arrests 13 Asian nationals for illegal gambling in Muscat" (26 October 2026): https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/oman/oman-arrests-13-asian-nationals-for-illegal-gambling-in-muscat-2-1.500723956
• Gulf News, "17 expats held over gambling in Riyadh" (12 July 2020): https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/17-expats-held-over-gambling-in-riyadh-1.1594568358763
• World Trade Organization, Quantitative Restrictions database, "Bahrain, Kingdom of #6210": https://qr.wto.org/en/qrs/6210
• Gulf News, "32 expatriates arrested in Bahrain for gambling" (5 November 2018): https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/bahrain/32-expatriates-arrested-in-bahrain-for-gambling-1.2234989
• Kuwait Times, "Gulf Bank extends deposit period for KD 1.5 million draw until Nov 30, 2026" (23 September 2026): https://kuwaittimes.com/article/50308/business/gulf-bank-extends-deposit-period-for-kd-15-million-draw-until-nov-30-2026/amp