Penalty for Gambling in the UAE: Articles 460–463 of the Penal Code, Quoted in Full

Last updated: 9 November 2026

The penalty for gambling in the UAE is set by Article 461 of Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021, the Crimes and Penalties Law: incarceration for up to two years or a fine of up to Dh50,000. Organisers face a much heavier regime under Article 462, with temporary imprisonment of up to ten years and a fine of at least Dh100,000. This page quotes all four gambling articles, 460 to 463, from the official English text on the UAE government's legislation portal, and explains plainly who each one is aimed at.

Key takeaways

• The gambling chapter of the UAE Penal Code is Chapter Six of Book Two: Articles 460 (definition), 461 (players), 462 (organisers) and 463 (confiscation and closure).
• Article 461 punishes "whoever gambles" with incarceration of up to two years or a fine of up to Dh50,000. The law says "or", not "and".
• Article 462 punishes anyone who opens or runs a gambling place, or organises a game, with temporary imprisonment of up to ten years and a fine of not less than Dh100,000.
• Article 463 orders seizure and confiscation of money and tools "in all cases", and closure of the premises.
• The law came into force on 2 January 2022 and repealed the old 1987 Penal Code, so older article numbers you see online no longer apply.
• Gaming licensed by the GCGRA, such as the UAE Lottery, Play971 and TrueWin, operates under a separate federal licensing regime. Gambling outside that regime is exposed to these articles.

What is the gambling law in the UAE called?

The federal law is Federal Law by Decree No. (31) of 2021 Promulgating the Crimes and Penalties Law, usually still called the Penal Code. It was issued on 20 September 2021 and took effect on 2 January 2022. Article Two of the decree repealed Federal Law No. (3) of 1987, the previous Penal Code, so commentary that cites the 1987 numbering is out of date.

The official portal, uaelegislation.gov.ae, lists the law as active and notes it has been amended three times, most recently updated on 7 September 2026. The gambling articles quoted below are the text displayed there on 4 November 2026. The portal itself warns that the Arabic text prevails over the English translation in any conflict.

If you want the short answer to whether gambling is allowed at all, start with our guide to whether gambling is legal in the UAE. A common slip elsewhere online is to attribute the two-year, Dh50,000 penalty to Article 460. The penalty is in Article 461; Article 460 is the definition.

Article 460: what counts as gambling under UAE law?

"Gambling is a game whereby each of the parties thereto agrees - in case of losing - to pay to the winner a certain sum of money or any other thing agreed upon."

Three elements carry the definition: a game, an agreement between the parties, and a stake the loser pays the winner. The stake need not be cash; "any other thing agreed upon" is broad enough to cover goods, credits or tokens.

On our reading, a game where nobody agrees to pay anything on losing sits outside this definition. That is why free-to-enter prediction contests are treated differently from paid ones. This is a plain-language reading of the text, not a court ruling.

Article 461: what is the penalty for gambling in the UAE for players?

"Whoever gambles shall be punished with incarceration for a period not exceeding (2) two years or a fine not exceeding (50,000) fifty thousand AED. The penalty shall be incarceration or a fine if the crime is committed in a public place or a place opened to the public or business premises or a house prepared and equipped for gambling."

Two points matter. First, the word is or. A court chooses incarceration or a fine; the first paragraph does not stack them. Summaries that say "two years plus a Dh50,000 fine" do not match the official English text.

Second, the second paragraph names specific settings: public places, places open to the public, business premises, and houses "prepared and equipped for gambling". Unlike the first paragraph, it gives no numeric caps. For context, Article 70 of the same law says incarceration runs from one month to three years "unless the law stipulates otherwise", and Article 72 sets general fine limits. We are not going to guess how a court reads the second paragraph against the first; that needs a UAE lawyer working from the Arabic text.

Article 462: what is the penalty for organising gambling?

"A penalty of temporary imprisonment for a period not exceeding (10) ten years and a fine not less than (100,000) one hundred thousand AED shall be imposed on anyone who opens or runs a place for gambling and prepares such a place for admission of people, and anyone who organizes any game of gambling in a public place or a place opened for the public or in any place or house prepared for such purpose."

This is the article for the house, not the player. It covers:

• anyone who opens or runs a gambling place and prepares it to admit people;
• anyone who organises a gambling game in a public place, a place open to the public, or a place or house prepared for it.

Here the conjunction is and: imprisonment and a fine, with a floor of Dh100,000 rather than a ceiling. "Temporary imprisonment" is a defined term. Under Article 69 it may not be less than three years or more than fifteen "unless the law stipulates otherwise"; Article 462 sets its own ten-year maximum. Under Article 29, a crime punishable by temporary imprisonment is a felony.

Article 463: what happens to the money, the equipment and the venue?

"In all cases, any money or tools which may have been used in gambling shall be seized and confiscated. The court shall also order the closure of the premises or place designated for gambling, and it may not be authorized to reopen unless it is designated for a lawful purpose and after the approval of the public prosecution."

"In all cases" means confiscation applies whether the conviction is under Article 461 or 462. The stakes on the table and the equipment go. The venue is closed and can reopen only for a lawful purpose and with Public Prosecution approval.

Players vs organisers: how do the penalties compare?

UAE Penal Code gambling penalties at a glance

Article — Who it targets — Penalty as written

• 460 — Nobody (definition) — None; defines gambling
• 461 para 1 — Anyone who gambles — Incarceration up to 2 years or fine up to Dh50,000
• 461 para 2 — Gambling in public, business or equipped premises — "Incarceration or a fine" (no caps stated)
• 462 — Anyone who opens, runs or organises — Temporary imprisonment up to 10 years and fine of at least Dh100,000
• 463 — All cases — Confiscation of money and tools; closure of premises

Online activity has a second layer. The Cybercrimes Law, Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021, makes it a crime under Article 38 to create, manage or supervise a website, or use an information network, to promote gambling "in the cases other than the authorized". The penalty is imprisonment and/or a fine of Dh250,000 to Dh500,000. Advertising rules for licensed operators are covered in our explainer on UAE gaming advertising rules.

Does the Penal Code apply to licensed gaming like Play971 and the UAE Lottery?

The Penal Code sets the general prohibition. Separately, the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) licenses commercial gaming under federal law. As of 4 November 2026 its register lists The Game LLC (the UAE Lottery), Island 3 AMI FZ-LLC (Wynn Al Marjan), and Coin Technology Projects LLC as the internet gaming and sports wagering licensee, plus gaming-related vendors. The GCGRA states that only businesses and individuals holding its licence "are authorised to do business in commercial gaming within the UAE."

We have not read the commercial gaming decree-law's own text, so we do not describe how it interacts with Articles 460–463. The regulator's pages make the practical line clear: licensed products sit inside the framework; offshore sites and private betting rings do not. Whether Play971 can be used in your emirate is a separate question, covered in is Play971 legal in the UAE and Dubai.

Does the civil law still deal with gambling debts?

The civil gambling chapter of the 1985 Civil Transactions Law (Articles 1012–1021) was not carried into the new Civil Transactions Law, Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025, in force since 1 June 2026, according to Greenberg Traurig. See the UAE civil code and gambling contracts. The criminal articles above are separate.

This article is general information about the published text of UAE law, not legal advice. If you face a specific situation, speak to a lawyer licensed in the UAE.

If gambling is causing you or someone close to you harm, our page on responsible gambling help in the UAE lists where to start.

FAQ

What is the penalty for gambling in the UAE? Under Article 461 of Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021, incarceration for up to two years or a fine of up to Dh50,000. Confiscation of the money and tools used follows under Article 463.

Is it two years and Dh50,000, or two years or Dh50,000? The official English text says "or". Article 461 offers incarceration or a fine. Article 462, for organisers, is the one that says "and".

Which article of the UAE Penal Code covers gambling? Articles 460 to 463, in Chapter Six ("Gambling") of Book Two of the Crimes and Penalties Law. Article 460 defines gambling; 461 sets the penalty for gamblers.

What is the punishment for running a gambling den in the UAE? Temporary imprisonment of up to ten years and a fine of not less than Dh100,000 under Article 462, plus closure of the premises under Article 463.

Are older articles like the 1987 Penal Code still valid? No. Article Two of Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021 repealed Federal Law No. 3 of 1987 with effect from 2 January 2022.

Further reading

• Is gambling legal in the UAE?
• The UAE civil code and gambling contracts after June 2026
• Is Play971 legal in the UAE and Dubai?
• Illegal gaming risks in the UAE
• UAE gambling myths

Sources

• UAE Legislation portal, "Federal Law by Decree Promulgating the Crimes and Penalties Law" (No. 31 of 2021; text viewed 4 November 2026): https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1529
• UAE Legislation portal, "Federal Decree-Law on Countering Rumors and Cybercrimes" (No. 34 of 2021; text viewed 4 November 2026): https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1526
• GCGRA, "Our Licensees" (viewed 4 November 2026): https://www.gcgra.gov.ae/en/licensing/our-licensees/
• GCGRA, "What is Commercial Gaming": https://www.gcgra.gov.ae/en/commercial-gaming/what-is-commercial-gaming/
• Greenberg Traurig, "UAE Civil Code: gambling provisions removed" (January 2026): https://www.gtlaw.com/en/insights/2026/01/uae-civil-code-gambling-provisions-removed