Gambling Laws in Saudi Arabia
There is no
legal gambling in Saudi Arabia. Article 1 of the
Basic Law of Saudi Arabia states that the kingdom’s “religion shall be Islam and its constitution shall be the Book of God and the Sunnah (Traditions) of His Messenger, may God’s blessings and peace be upon him (PBUH).” Therefore, identifying the Qur’an and the Sunnah traditions as the main sources of legislation,
gambling in Saudi Arabia is illegal.
And although it is not explicitly prohibited, the
Basic Law makes
online gambling in Saudi Arabia also illegal. In fact, this is made clear in Article 6 of the
Anti-Cyber Crime Law that prohibits the “preparation, publication and promotion of pornographic or gambling sites which violates the public morals.”
Is Online Gambling Legal in Saudi Arabia?
No. Gambling, including online gambling, is considered to be illegal, according to the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia. |
Online Casinos in Saudi Arabia
There are no
online casino sites in Saudi Arabia. As online gambling in the country is prohibited under the
Basic Law of Saudi Arabia, there are no
Saudi Arabia online casino licenses on the offer. And although there is an active blockage on any online gambling content, illegal access to casino sites from Saudi Arabia is frequently reported by many international operators.
Online Poker in Saudi Arabia
Online poker sites in Saudi Arabia are also not legal, as of July 2019
. Although there are no specific
Saudi online poker laws, the general prohibition on gambling coming from the application of the
Basic Law of Saudi Arabia holds for this game too.
Online Lottery in Saudi Arabia
Even though there are no separate
Saudi lotto laws, the general prohibition on gambling coming from the
Basic Law of Saudi Arabia holds for lotto too. Thus, there hasn't been room for a long-established tradition of lottery games in the country, both as gambling games or for charitable purposes. And as of July 2019, there are no
online lotto sites in Saudi Arabia.
Online Bingo in Saudi Arabia
As it is the case with the other gambling sites,
online bingo sites in Saudi Arabia are not legal. Although there are no specific
Saudi bingo laws, the general prohibition on online gambling in the country, coming from the
Basic Law of Saudi Arabia, applies to this game as well.
Online Sports Betting in Saudi Arabia
Online sportsbook sites in Saudi Arabia are also illegal. As it is the case with other gambling games, online betting also falls under the general prohibition on gambling coming from the application of the
Basic Law of Saudi Arabia. But although there is an active blockage on any online gambling content, illegal access to offshore platforms from Saudi Arabia is frequently reported by many international online sportsbooks.
Online DFS in Saudi Arabia
There are no
online DFS sites in Saudi Arabia. Although the status of Daily Fantasy Sports is a frequent topic of discussion between lawmakers worldwide, it is plausible to suppose that this game, notwithstanding the status, will also fall under the prohibition coming from the
Basic Law of Saudi Arabia.
