Country guide · United Arab Emirates
Gambling in the UAE is legal only under a licence from the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), which issued the first online gaming licences in late 2025. The live casinos on this page are internationally licensed sites that accept players from the UAE, according to our data. None of them is GCGRA-licensed, and gambling outside a GCGRA licence is a criminal offence.
Legal status
Checked 6 Oct 2026
Legal only with a GCGRA licence
The federal GCGRA, set up in 2023, licenses commercial gaming, and in late 2025 it issued the first licences for online gaming and sports betting. The framework allows at most one online operator per emirate. Gambling outside a GCGRA licence remains a criminal offence.
Summary of the law as checked on 6 October 2026. Not legal advice.
Sources: GCGRA (gcgra.gov.ae); AGB, 28 October 2025; Global Law Experts, 2026.
Year the GCGRA was established.
Online operator licence per emirate at most.
Timeline
Sources: gcgra.gov.ae; AGB; Global Law Experts.
Offshore live casinos
Internationally licensed sites that take players from the UAE. None holds a GCGRA licence, and gambling outside a GCGRA licence remains a criminal offence in the UAE. Check the law and decide for yourself before you play. 18+.
18+ · T&Cs Apply · Play Responsibly
18+ · T&Cs Apply · Play Responsibly
18+ · T&Cs Apply · Play Responsibly
Only at operators licensed by the GCGRA. The first online licences were issued in November 2025.
Gambling without a GCGRA licence is illegal in the UAE.
Each country page shows the live casinos in our ranking that accept players from that country. For the UAE these are internationally licensed sites. None of them holds a GCGRA licence.
Help
How to set deposit and time limits and spot the warning signs.
Responsible gaming →Where to find support and how self-exclusion works.
Gambling addiction help →Countries Live
