Online gambling regulation in Saudi Arabia

No dedicated gambling regulator; enforcement handled by criminal justice authorities and Communications and Information Technology Commission for online content. Online gambling prohibited model. Checked 2026-09-21.

Advertising unlicensed gambling banned: Yes
Public licence register: No
Online casino: Prohibited
Online sports betting: Prohibited

Casino, sports betting, poker and more

Saudi Arabia treats casino, sports betting, and poker alike: all are prohibited, with no licensing regime or legal online gambling market. There is no confirmed carve-out for any of these products, including offshore or online operators.

Product	Status	What that means
Online casino	Prohibited	—
Online sports betting	Prohibited	—
Online poker	Prohibited	Prohibited; all gambling, including online poker, is illegal under Saudi Sharia-based law and cybercrime enforcement.
Sweepstakes and social casinos	Prohibited	Prohibited when prize/chance models involve money or value exchange; no Saudi sweepstakes/social-casino exemption was confirmed.
Prediction markets	Prohibited	Prohibited if real-money betting on events; no separate licensed derivatives-style market confirmed for retail event contracts.
Mystery boxes	Prohibited	Prohibited; Saudi Arabia treats gambling as forbidden under Sharia and the 2007 Anti-Cyber Crime Law supports enforcement. No specific loot-box/mystery-box carve-out found.

Advertising unlicensed gambling in Saudi Arabia

Prohibited. Anti-Cybercrime Law 2007 (reported Article 6) criminalises preparing, publishing or promoting gambling-related content via information networks or computers.

Online promotion, publication or creation of gambling content is treated as a criminal offence under the Anti-Cybercrime framework.

Regulator and law

No dedicated gambling regulator; enforcement handled by criminal justice authorities and Communications and Information Technology Commission for online content

Sharia-based prohibition on gambling (maisir), reinforced by Anti-Cybercrime Law 2007, particularly Article 6 on online promotion and gambling content.

Online casino: Prohibited. Online sports betting: Prohibited.

Checking a licence

There is no public register of licensed operators. No gambling licences are issued; therefore no official register or whitelist of licensed operators exists.

How the black market is fought

Criminal prosecution for gambling-related cyber offences
Imprisonment up to 5 years and fines up to SAR 3,000,000
ISP and domain blocking of gambling sites and apps
Asset confiscation and deportation for foreign nationals

Advertising rules for licensed operators

No licensed gambling operators or permitted gambling advertising in Saudi Arabia
General prohibitions on publishing or promoting online gambling content under Anti-Cybercrime Law

Recent developments

Continued clarification in 2025–2026 guides that no licensing pathway exists for online gambling
Ongoing strengthening of cyber enforcement tools against online gambling sites and promotion

Questions

Is it illegal to advertise unlicensed gambling in Saudi Arabia?

Yes. Anti-Cybercrime Law 2007 (reported Article 6) criminalises preparing, publishing or promoting gambling-related content via information networks or computers. Online promotion, publication or creation of gambling content is treated as a criminal offence under the Anti-Cybercrime framework.

Who regulates online gambling in Saudi Arabia?

No dedicated gambling regulator; enforcement handled by criminal justice authorities and Communications and Information Technology Commission for online content. The main law is Sharia-based prohibition on gambling (maisir), reinforced by Anti-Cybercrime Law 2007, particularly Article 6 on online promotion and gambling content..

How can I check whether a gambling operator is licensed in Saudi Arabia?

No gambling licences are issued; therefore no official register or whitelist of licensed operators exists.

What we could not confirm

Exact article numbers and wording of Sharia-derived gambling prohibitions
Whether there is a standalone “Anti-Gambling Law” separate from Anti-Cybercrime Law
Any internal ministerial circulars specifically on gambling advertising
Whether any narrowly defined free-to-play promotional sweepstakes without purchase are treated differently
Whether paid mystery boxes are analyzed separately from general gambling bans
Whether any financial-derivatives-style event contracts could be offered under non-gambling Saudi financial regulation

Sources

Researched 2026-09-21 from public sources and summarised by the Brandfense team. Not legal advice — confirm with the regulator or your counsel before acting.