Gambling occupies a paradoxical place in Pakistani culture: it is discouraged by both religion and law, yet card games, festival wagers and underground cricket betting persist quietly across the country. As an Islamic republic, Pakistan treats gambling (maisir) as forbidden, and the Prevention of Gambling Act 1977 makes it a criminal offence. Yet informal play at family gatherings, the enduring popularity of prize bonds, and a large underground betting market show a gap between the letter of the law and everyday life.

A short history

Pakistan inherited its gambling framework from the British-era Public Gambling Act of 1867. After independence, provincial ordinances governed the issue until the Prevention of Gambling Act 1977 unified the ban, reflecting the prohibition of maisir. Two carve-outs followed: tote betting on horse racing was legalised in 1979 under General Zia-ul-Haq (widely reported as a concession to racehorse-owning supporters), and National Prize Bonds took their modern form in the early 1980s as a bearer instrument offering periodic prize draws rather than interest.

Enforcement has never fully suppressed demand. Cricket betting in particular has long thrived underground despite crackdowns, and blocked offshore apps continue to be re-accessed.

The games people actually play

Culturally popular card games include Teen Patti (3 Patti) and Andar Bahar, both played socially at gatherings and around festivals such as Eid, and the dice game Jhandi Munda. These are typically informal, small-stakes affairs among friends and family rather than organised commercial gambling - though playing for money still falls within the legal ban.

For actual wagering, cricket betting dominates. Pakistan’s love of the sport feeds a substantial underground market, and the country’s history with match-fixing scandals has kept the link between cricket and betting in the national conversation.

Two forms of wagering sit outside the ban:

  • Tote betting on horse racing, permitted at licensed clubs (such as those in Lahore and Karachi) since 1979.
  • National Prize Bonds, a government bearer instrument. Bondholders pay no interest; instead, periodic draws award prizes. The state classifies these as a security, not gambling - though prize winnings are subject to a withholding tax deducted at source.

Both remain culturally contested. Some religious scholars continue to argue that prize bonds resemble gambling or riba (interest), and periodic debate surrounds whether they should be permitted at all.

Religious and social attitudes

Attitudes are shaped above all by faith. Islam’s prohibition of maisir is widely internalised, so gambling carries real social stigma and is rarely discussed openly. This coexists with the reality of informal card play and underground betting - a tension between private practice and public disapproval that defines the culture. For most Pakistanis, gambling is something that happens quietly, at the edges, rather than as an accepted pastime.

The bottom line

Pakistan is not a gambling market in any legal sense. There are no casinos, no licensed sportsbooks and no online operators - only a state prize-bond scheme, limited tote betting on horses, and a persistent informal and underground scene that the law and religion both push against.

18+ only. Gambling is illegal in Pakistan - this article is informational and cultural, not encouragement to break the law. If gambling is causing you or someone you know harm, contact the Umang helpline: 0317-4288665.

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