Gambling is illegal in the Maldives in all its forms, and this includes online betting, online casinos and crypto gambling. The Maldives is a Sunni Muslim nation whose constitution makes Islam a basis of its laws, and gambling is treated as prohibited (haram) under Islamic principles. There is no gambling regulator, no licensing regime, and no lawful way to place a bet — for citizens or for tourists. Cryptocurrency is not legal tender and is not authorised for transactions by the Maldives Monetary Authority, so it offers no lawful route to gamble either.

No. The Maldives prohibits gambling. The 2008 Constitution designates Islam as the state religion and provides that a citizen is free to engage in conduct not prohibited by Islamic Shari’ah or by law; within this framework gambling is treated as prohibited and is not permitted in the country — not on inhabited islands and not on tourist resort islands. Unlike alcohol, which resorts may serve to foreign guests under special licences, there is no equivalent carve-out that makes gambling legal for tourists.

Because gambling is banned, there is no domestic online betting market, no local sportsbook, and no path to a licence. Enforcement is oriented toward land-based gambling, and offshore gambling websites remain technically reachable from the Maldives — but using them does not make the activity lawful, and doing so exposes players to legal and financial risk with no local consumer protection.

Who regulates gambling in the Maldives?

No one — because it is prohibited, there is no gambling regulator or licensing authority. This is fundamentally different from regulated markets (such as the UK or Malta) that license operators and protect players. In the Maldives there is no licensed operator, no complaints channel, and no oversight of any site claiming to accept Maldivian players.

Licensed vs offshore sites

There are no licensed gambling operators based in the Maldives. Any site advertising to Maldivian residents is an offshore operator outside Maldivian law. Because these sites are unregulated locally, there is no recourse if funds are withheld, terms change, or a dispute arises — and the underlying activity remains illegal in the Maldives.

Payments and crypto status

There is no lawful domestic framework for gambling payments. Cryptocurrency does not provide a legal alternative: the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) stated in an October 2018 notice that crypto is not legal tender and that no party has been granted permission to conduct crypto transactions in the Maldives.

Separately, in May 2025 the government signed an $8.8 billion agreement with Dubai-based MBS Global Investments to build the Maldives International Financial Centre (MIFC), a blockchain and digital-asset hub in Male targeted for completion by 2030. This is an economic-diversification and fintech project — it is not a legalisation of gambling and does not change the prohibition.

TopicStatus in the Maldives
Online betting / casinoIllegal (all forms)
Regulator / licensingNone
Local licensed operatorsNone
Crypto as paymentNot legal tender; no permission granted (MMA)
Winnings taxNo gambling tax (activity is illegal)

Winnings and tax

There is no gambling-winnings tax because there is no lawful gambling to tax. The Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) administers income tax under the Income Tax Act (Law No. 25/2019), under which residents are taxed on worldwide income, but no legal gambling income exists.

Safer gambling and help

There is no national gambling helpline in the Maldives because there is no legal industry. If gambling is causing harm, seek support from a local health professional or a reputable international problem-gambling service, and understand the legal exposure that gambling creates in the Maldives.

18+. Gambling is illegal in the Maldives. This article is factual information, not encouragement to gamble. If gambling is affecting you or someone you know, please seek professional help.

Sources