Many aspects in Tunisia changed with the emergence of the Arab Spring in 2011, and the major repercussions were a more democratized country with a freshly implemented freedom of speech. The democratization process was present throughout all sectors in Tunisia, but the view towards gambling has not changed at all, with the government standing by its beliefs that it is a morally damaging activity.
However, Tunisia is a major tourist attraction, so the government made sure to legalize gambling in land-based facilities, but only for foreign citizens. At the moment, there are three active land-based casinos in Tunisia, and they are regularly visited by tourists from all around the globe.
No Tunisian citizen is allowed entrance at such a facility, even though gambling is very popular among Tunisians. There is pressure on the government by young punters to legalize the gambling sector, but there has been no success so far.
When it comes to online gambling, the situation is a bit more unclear. There is no licensed online gambling operator in Tunisia at the moment, and there is no way such a site can obtain a license. However, there are many foreign live casinos that freely accept players from Tunisia, so there is a good choice for punters there.
The Tunisian government does not criminally charge any punter for accessing such sites, and they are free to play their favourite live games without facing any repercussions for it. There is no case yet of an individual being prosecuted for gambling at offshore live casinos.
Regulation Laws and Authorities
As Islam is the official religion in Tunisia, and Muslims are 99% of the population, there are no gambling activities that are allowed for Tunisian punters – all this is in accordance with the Islamic notions.
The country does not mix religion and politics, so the Quran states that people should work very hard for their money, and they should not rely on luck to gain them. So, the Tunisian government does not allow any types of gambling for Tunisians.
The government regulates and controls the gambling activities in the country, and they state that no Tunisian citizen is allowed entrance into a casino site. This is different when it comes to tourists. Tourism is a major contributor to the Tunisian economy, so the government has made the decision to allow foreigners to gamble at casinos in the country. They are required to show any type of ID to prove they are not from the country, and they will be granted entrance.
Online gambling is prohibited in the country, meaning that there is no regulatory body to oversee the whole market. However, Tunisians have access to offshore live casinos, and they won’t be prosecuted for playing at such sites.