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UAE Lottery Launches First Online Casino Despite Gambling Ban

 

Even though gambling is officially forbidden by UAE legislation, Momentum, the lottery operator for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has surreptitiously opened an online casino platform in the Middle Eastern nation.

Additionally, for Muslims, gambling is strictly prohibited, or haram.

In addition to online roulette, blackjack, slots, poker, and live dealer tables, the new platform "TrueWin" also provides sports betting for regionally popular events including tennis, cricket, and soccer.

Users from Dream Island, an older platform that primarily served as a low-risk lottery-style prize-draw website rather than a real-money casino or sportsbook, are starting to migrate to Momentum.

Although the UAE is a target for grey-market gambling sites, the government frequently blocks or restricts them, with differing degrees of success. The first locally accessible, freely running online gaming site in the United Arab Emirates and the entire Arab Peninsula is TrueWin, which has now completely opened.

What gives, then?


A Fine Balance

The first legal lottery in the area was introduced by Momentum in November 2024. It is open to everyone, regardless of country or religion, and is regulated by the federal government of the United Arab Emirates.

That was contentious enough on its own. Games of chance are referred to in the Quran as "abominations of Satan's handiwork" and a "severe sin."

In the United Arab Emirates, a judicial system that is still partially based on Shariah and traditional Islamic principles coexists uncomfortably with international capitalism.

It is also a wealthy authoritarian petrostate that needs to diversify its economy because its oil reserves will eventually run out. Furthermore, under the highly centralized state of the United Arab Emirates, almost little occurs without the implicit consent of the government.

The General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) was created by the government in September 2023 in reaction to Wynn Resorts' promise to construct a $5.1 billion casino hotel in Ras Al Khaimah, the northernmost emirate of the nation.

As of yet, the GCGRA has not created a regulatory framework for playing at internet casinos. However, unless you're planning for a controlled opening of the gambling industry, you don't set up a gambling regulator with the authority to oversee casinos and sports betting, headed by former US state gaming commissioners.

 

Unprecedented Action

As the government is ready to relax its gambling regulations to a level never seen in the area, it seems to be testing the waters.

The benefits are enormous, but they must be weighed against the need to control social and religious sensibilities.

According to Bloomberg Intelligence analysts, if the Wynn project proceeds as planned and an additional integrated resort is built in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, gaming income in the United Arab Emirates may exceed US$6.6 billion. Singapore and other well-known powerhouse markets would be surpassed by that.

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