Play971 Remains the UAE’s Only Public Online Gaming and Sports Wagering Operator in April 2026

Last updated: April 14, 2026

If you are looking for the latest Play971 news, the clearest source-based answer is not a flashy new launch statement. It is the fact that, as of April 14, 2026, Coin Technology Projects LLC remains the only company publicly listed by the GCGRA under both Internet Gaming Licensees and Sports Wagering Licensees.

That matters because published reporting in December 2025 said Play971 had gone fully live as the UAE’s first regulated real-money online sportsbook and iGaming platform. But in the current public source set reviewed for this article, the most important official fact in April 2026 is that no second public online operator has appeared on the GCGRA register. If you want the wider framework first, read our guide to whether online gambling is legal in the UAE right now, our Coin Technology Projects LLC profile, our UAE gaming license tracker, and our guide to what is legal in the UAE right now.

Quick answer

• As of April 14, 2026, the GCGRA public register still lists Coin Technology Projects LLC as the only company under both Internet Gaming Licensees and Sports Wagering Licensees.
• That means Play971 remains the only publicly visible online gaming and sports wagering operator in the UAE’s federal framework, based on the current public register.
• Published reporting from December 16-17, 2025 said Play971 had gone live for eligible users inside the UAE and was operated by Coin Technology Projects LLC.
• The official source set reviewed for this article does not include a dated GCGRA press release specifically announcing a Play971 launch or Coin licence grant in the same way the regulator publicly announced the UAE Lottery licence in July 2024.
• The most defensible April 2026 takeaway is that the UAE’s public online market still shows one operator name, not several.

What the official GCGRA register says right now

The clearest primary source is the GCGRA Our Licensees page.

As of April 14, 2026, that page lists:

• Coin Technology Projects LLC under Internet Gaming Licensees
• Coin Technology Projects LLC under Sports Wagering Licensees

The same official register also shows that other operator categories already have named public entries, including:

• The Game LLC - Operator of the UAE Lottery under lottery
• Island 3 AMI FZ-LLC (DBA: Wynn Al Marjan) under land-based gaming facilities

That is why the online side stands out. In the current public register, Coin Technology Projects LLC remains the only company shown in each of the two online categories.

Why this is still news in April 2026

This matters because the online story is no longer just about whether internet gaming and sports wagering are theoretically regulated in the UAE. The GCGRA’s Activities We Regulate page already makes clear that both are formal commercial gaming categories.

The April 2026 news angle is narrower and more useful:

the public register still shows only one operator name across the online categories.

That means the online market is still publicly defined by Coin Technology Projects LLC and, in market reporting, by Play971.

What published reporting said in December 2025

Because the official public source set does not appear to include a dated GCGRA press release announcing the Play971 launch, the best dated reporting trail comes from published coverage in December 2025.

On December 16, 2025, Gulf News reported that Play971 was live as the UAE’s first licensed internet gaming and sports wagering platform. That report said the platform was operated by Coin Technology Projects LLC from Twofour54 Yas Creative Hub in Abu Dhabi, and that it was taking bets on casino-style games and sports.

On December 17, 2025, Yogonet reported that Play971 had gone fully live on December 15, 2025, becoming the UAE’s first authorised real-money online sportsbook and iGaming platform for eligible users inside the country.

Those reports matter because they supply the dated public launch narrative that the live GCGRA register alone does not provide.

What is officially confirmed versus what is reported

This distinction is important.

Officially confirmed right now

• Internet gaming is a regulated UAE commercial gaming category.
• Sports wagering is a regulated UAE commercial gaming category.
• Coin Technology Projects LLC appears on the GCGRA’s live public register in both categories.
• As of April 14, 2026, no second public company name appears alongside Coin in those two online categories.

Publicly reported, but not announced in the same way by a dated GCGRA press release in the reviewed source set

• Play971 went live in mid-December 2025.
• The platform was taking wagers from eligible users inside the UAE.
• The product was being presented publicly as the first real-money regulated online gaming and sports wagering site in the country.

That does not mean the reporting is wrong. It means careful coverage should separate:

• what is visible in the official public register right now
• what was reported in reputable public coverage in December 2025
• what has not yet been publicly documented by the regulator in the same dated press-release style used for some other milestones

Why Play971 still standing alone matters

This is the main market takeaway.

If the GCGRA public register still shows only Coin Technology Projects LLC under both online categories in April 2026, then the public online market remains extremely concentrated.

That matters for several reasons:

• it suggests the UAE online framework is still in an early-stage public operator phase
• it means Play971 remains the clearest reference point for how a regulated UAE online product is being presented to the market
• it shows there has not yet been a visible wave of additional public online operator names in the official register

In other words, the most important April 2026 update may not be a new entrant. It may be the continued absence of one.

What this means for readers and search intent

A lot of readers searching for Play971 news are really trying to answer one of four questions:

• Is Play971 still legal in the UAE?
• Is Play971 still the only licensed online operator?
• Has the UAE added more online gaming licensees?
• Is Coin Technology Projects LLC still the public operator name behind the online categories?

Based on the public source set reviewed for this article, the safest source-led answer is:

Yes, Coin Technology Projects LLC remains the only publicly listed operator in both online categories, and no second public online operator name appears on the GCGRA register as of April 14, 2026.

What this article does not claim

Because accuracy matters, this article does not claim:

• that the GCGRA has publicly stated there will be no more online licensees
• that no additional approvals exist anywhere outside the current public register
• that every detail of Play971’s rollout has been explained in regulator materials
• that the absence of another public name on the register proves the market will remain single-operator long term

This is a current-status article, not a prediction.

What to watch next

The next real online-gaming milestones to watch are likely to be:

• any new company appearing on the GCGRA register under Internet Gaming Licensees or Sports Wagering Licensees
• any dated GCGRA press release specifically addressing online operator approvals or launches
• any further public reporting that clarifies whether the market remains a one-name public register or begins to widen

For the legal and framework side, read our guide to whether online gambling is legal in the UAE right now and our UAE gaming license types guide.

Bottom line

As of April 14, 2026, the strongest source-based Play971 update is that Coin Technology Projects LLC still stands alone on the GCGRA’s public online register, appearing under both Internet Gaming Licensees and Sports Wagering Licensees.

Published reporting in December 2025 said Play971 had gone live and become the UAE’s first regulated real-money online sportsbook and iGaming platform. But the official April 2026 story is simpler: the public register still shows one online operator name, not several.

That makes Play971 important not only because it launched first, but because, in the public source set reviewed today, it still defines the visible shape of the UAE’s regulated online gaming market.

Sources

• GCGRA Our Licensees
• GCGRA Activities We Regulate
• Gulf News: 24 things UAE players need to know about Play971, the country’s first licensed internet gaming site, December 16, 2025
• Yogonet: Play971 goes fully live as the UAE’s first authorized online sportsbook and iGaming platform, December 17, 2025