Afghanistan has no legal gambling industry and never developed a regulated one. Wagering has instead existed informally around traditional spectator contests such as buzkashi and animal fights, while games of chance have long been condemned as haram under Islam. Under both the first Taliban era and the current de facto authorities, gambling is banned, and the 2024 morality law classifies activities such as animal fights and egg tapping as gambling. The 2025 suspension of chess, justified by stated fears of its links to gambling, shows how far that logic now reaches. Afghan gambling “culture” is therefore best understood as a history of informal betting overtaken by strict religious and legal prohibition.

A Short History of Wagering in Afghanistan

Gambling in Afghanistan has never been institutionalised. There were no legal casinos, bookmakers, or state lotteries of the kind seen elsewhere. What existed was informal: reported side-wagering among spectators at traditional contests. In the late 20th century, card games and chess gained popularity in the cities. When the Taliban took control in the late 1990s, they moved against pastimes they deemed un-Islamic, including kite flying, and buzkashi was banned during that first era (1996-2001). Many of these activities revived after 2001; buzkashi has been allowed again since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 and is even taxed by the authorities, while other pastimes have been curtailed.

Traditional Games and the Contests People Bet On

Several pastimes sit at the centre of Afghan popular culture, and informal wagering has historically been associated with some of them:

PastimeWhat it isStatus today
BuzkashiThe national sport; horse-mounted riders compete to place a goat or calf carcass in a goalCurrently permitted and taxed by the authorities; banned during 1996-2001
Kite fighting (Gudiparan Bazi)Glass-coated lines used to cut rival kites; a long-standing traditionCultural pastime; banned as un-Islamic during 1996-2001 and restricted under Taliban rule
Cockfighting / animal fightsInformal fights, historically with side-wageringClassified as gambling under the 2024 law and prohibited
Egg fighting / egg tappingEid custom of knocking painted boiled eggs togetherClassified as gambling under the 2024 law
Card games and chessUrban pastimes from the late 20th centuryCard games long opposed; chess suspended in 2025

It is important to be precise: these are cultural activities first. Any betting around them was informal and unlicensed, and organised animal fighting is now expressly classified as gambling and prohibited.

Attitudes: Religion and Law

Afghanistan is an overwhelmingly Muslim society, and Islam treats gambling (maisir) as haram, a vice to be avoided. That religious conviction is now reinforced by codified law. The Law on the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, issued in 2024, runs to 35 articles and empowers a dedicated ministry and its inspectors to police everyday conduct. UNAMA has documented how enforcement extends deep into daily life, with penalties including detention, fines and public humiliation and no right of appeal.

The 2025 suspension of chess captures the current climate: a sports directorate spokesperson stated that chess is considered a means of gambling under Sharia, and the game was suspended pending religious review. In a society where even a board game can be halted on gambling grounds, there is no social or legal space for betting of any kind.

The Bottom Line

Afghanistan has a rich tradition of competitive pastimes, and informal wagering was historically part of that scene. But there is no legal gambling industry, no regulator, and no lawful route to bet. Under the current authorities the prohibition is strict and actively enforced, and anyone considering gambling, in any form, faces serious legal risk rather than any protected activity.

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