The UAE’s gambling culture is defined by a long, religiously grounded prohibition that is only now, cautiously, being reshaped. As a Muslim-majority federation, the Emirates historically banned gambling outright under Islamic law and the Penal Code, and that ban still governs everyday life. Yet since 2023 the country has built a licensed “commercial gaming” framework under the federal GCGRA - launching a national lottery, a first licensed online platform, and a landmark casino resort expected in 2027. The result is a society where gambling remains culturally sensitive and largely off-limits (and, for the new online platform, closed to Emirati nationals), running alongside a small, tightly regulated legal channel.

A history of prohibition

Gambling (maisir) is expressly discouraged in Islam, and the UAE reflected that in its laws from the outset. Betting shops, casinos and bookmakers were absent, and the Penal Code criminalised both gambling and the running of gambling venues. This was never merely a legal position - it reflected deeply held religious and communal values, and public gambling carried real social stigma as well as legal risk.

Importantly, this prohibition did not mean the UAE lacked competition, prizes or chance-based excitement. It channelled them into forms considered culturally acceptable: raffle-style draws tied to purchases, and above all, sport and equestrian tradition.

Horses, camels and the “no-betting” spectacle

Equestrian culture is central to Emirati identity, and the country hosts the Dubai World Cup at Meydan - among the richest horse races in the world. Yet, consistent with the ban, there is no bookmaker at the track. The event has instead run a free-to-enter prediction game (Pick 6) offering cash prizes, keeping wagering separate from the spectacle. Camel racing, another deep-rooted tradition, is likewise celebrated as heritage rather than as a betting product.

The lottery and raffle habit

Long before any regulated lottery, the UAE had a strong culture of large raffle draws - Big Ticket in Abu Dhabi and Dubai Duty Free draws chief among them - where buying a ticket or product entered you into draws for cars, cash and gold. These were framed as promotions rather than gambling, and they built genuine public enthusiasm for big-prize draws.

That appetite helped pave the way for the UAE Lottery, operated by The Game LLC and launched in December 2024 as the country’s first regulated national lottery, with a headline grand prize in the tens of millions of dirhams. Its arrival marked the first time a genuine, state-sanctioned lottery operated in the Emirates.

The pivot to regulated gaming

The creation of the GCGRA in September 2023 signalled a deliberate, top-down shift: rather than an organic loosening of attitudes, the government built a controlled licensing regime. The lottery came first (2024), then the first licensed online platform, Play971, which went fully live in December 2025 for eligible players - and, crucially, is reported to be open only to expatriates and tourists inside the UAE, not Emirati nationals. The landmark Wynn Al Marjan Island casino resort in Ras Al Khaimah, which holds the first casino licence, is expected to open in 2027.

Attitudes today

The cultural reality is a careful balance. For much of the population, gambling remains religiously and socially sensitive, and the new framework is pitched at expatriates and tourists rather than as a change to national values. The government’s messaging emphasises regulation, responsible gaming and economic diversification (tourism), not the normalisation of betting. So while the UAE now has a legal gaming channel for the first time, the surrounding culture is still one of caution, restriction and strong religious grounding.

Gambling can be addictive. If gambling stops being fun, contact Takalam, the UAE’s national counselling service, for free and confidential support.

Sources