Simon’s Guide to Gambling in Somalia
Gambling in Somalia
Somalia (officially the Federal Republic of Somalia) is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, and Kenya to the southwest. Somalia has the longest coastline on the continent’s mainland. It has a population of approximately 10 million and a GDP of approximately $600 per capita, which makes it one of the poorest countries in the world.
Gambling in Somalia is prohibited due to the majority of the population being Muslims. Under Islamic law, all forms of gambling are considered moral and criminal offences and the religious prohibition is reflected in the gambling regulations of most countries with a predominantly Muslim population.
There are no legal gambling operations in Somalia. There are, however, some illegal gambling dens and self-organised gambling groups around the country. Somalians who are caught gambling face Shari’a corporal punishment (hodud). For minor offences like gambling, this usually entails public flogging*.
Online gambling is not regulated (but technically illegal) in Somalia. According to last years figures, Somalia has an internet penetration of a mere 1.5%**, which makes online gambling virtually unheard of in the country. Not to mention, the extremely limited disposable income of the population, after all, this is one of Africa’s poorest country. Needles to say, this means, that most online casinos ignore the country entirely, and very few accept players from Somalia (you can see these websites below).
Even though the punishment for online gambling would be public flogging, the government lacks the infrastructure and money to regulate online gambling to any degree, therefore players are free to visit foreign gambling sites, and are not prosecuted.
*Source: Somali jehadist anti-gambling force arrested men suspected of gambling and flogged
**Source: Internet World Stats: Africa
Online casinos accepting players from Somalia
The following online gambling websites accept players from Somalia
888 Casino, Poker, Bingo and Sportsbook
888 online gambling: casino games, poker, bingo & bookmaker, current 2022 promos, UK players accepted (no USA)
- €1500 welcome bonus package, promo code: WELCOME1
USA players are not accepted, but UK players are accepted. Full list of banned countries can be found in the drop down menu below. All in one gambling destination with poker, sports betting, live dealer games, bingo and over 1000 casino games, all accessibe with one players account (but on separate platforms). You can read the review of 888 Casino here.
Playthrough requirements, wagering limitations, terms and conditions and list of restricted countries
General bonus terms and conditions at the 888 gambling websites:
- welcome bonuses are only available for new players
- bonuses are available in US Dollars, GBP, Euros or Canadian Dollars
- the minimum deposit to receive any bonus is €10
- the bonus + deposit needs to be wagered within 7 days from date of activation
Playthrough requirement of the welcome bonus: 30x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 30 times before withdrawal. Playthrough requirement of the free spins: no free spins currently, free spins expire after 14 days
Wagering limitation:
| Game type: | Contribution: |
| Video slots & other types of slots, Scratch cards, Keno, Race, Arcade, Dice (and all other types of games not specifically mentioned below) | 100% |
| Pai Gow, Caribbean Poker, Triple Card Poker and other kinds of table poker | 20% |
| Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat, Live casino games, Video poker | 10% |
| Craps | 5% |
UPDATE COVID-19: The online casino does not use the global pandemic situation for advertisement purposes, or to encourage the usage of its online gambling platform. In fact, it's forbidden to use the namesake, name, likeness and official logo or any depiction of the casino/company (and this casino gambling blog) in conjunction with any marketing campaign, which uses the novel coronavirus pandemic for promotion.
888 Casino does not accept players from:
Summary:
- Casino gambling in Somalia
- Bingo in Somalia
- Poker in Somalia
- Sports betting in Somalia
- Lottery in Somalia
- Bitcoin gambling in Somalia
Casino gambling in Somalia
Online casino gambling in Somalia: illegal, but the government lacks the infrastructure and money to regulate online gambling to any degree, therefore players are free to visit foreign gambling sites, players are not prosecuted
There are no casinos in Somalia, due to all forms of gambling being illegal in the country. Players if caught, face public flogging.
Online gambling is virtually non-existent in the country, but it’s safe to assume, that Islamic judges would impose the same punishments on online gamblers as in case of land based gambling.
The online casinos below accept players from Somalia.
The following online casino websites accept players from Somalia:
888 Casino, Poker, Bingo and Sportsbook
888 online gambling: casino games, poker, bingo & bookmaker, current 2022 promos, UK players accepted (no USA)
- €1500 welcome bonus package, promo code: WELCOME1
USA players are not accepted, but UK players are accepted. Full list of banned countries can be found in the drop down menu below. All in one gambling destination with poker, sports betting, live dealer games, bingo and over 1000 casino games, all accessibe with one players account (but on separate platforms). You can read the review of 888 Casino here.
Playthrough requirements, wagering limitations, terms and conditions and list of restricted countries
General bonus terms and conditions at the 888 gambling websites:
- welcome bonuses are only available for new players
- bonuses are available in US Dollars, GBP, Euros or Canadian Dollars
- the minimum deposit to receive any bonus is €10
- the bonus + deposit needs to be wagered within 7 days from date of activation
Playthrough requirement of the welcome bonus: 30x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 30 times before withdrawal. Playthrough requirement of the free spins: no free spins currently, free spins expire after 14 days
Wagering limitation:
| Game type: | Contribution: |
| Video slots & other types of slots, Scratch cards, Keno, Race, Arcade, Dice (and all other types of games not specifically mentioned below) | 100% |
| Pai Gow, Caribbean Poker, Triple Card Poker and other kinds of table poker | 20% |
| Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat, Live casino games, Video poker | 10% |
| Craps | 5% |
UPDATE COVID-19: The online casino does not use the global pandemic situation for advertisement purposes, or to encourage the usage of its online gambling platform. In fact, it's forbidden to use the namesake, name, likeness and official logo or any depiction of the casino/company (and this casino gambling blog) in conjunction with any marketing campaign, which uses the novel coronavirus pandemic for promotion.
888 Casino does not accept players from:
Click here for more info on casinos in Somalia.
Bingo in Somalia
Online bingo in Somalia: illegal, illegal, but the government lacks the infrastructure and money to regulate online gambling to any degree, therefore players are free to visit foreign gambling sites, players are not prosecuted
There are no reported, land based bingo halls in operation in Somalia, due to all gambling being illegal in the African state.
It’s most likely that online and offline gamblers alike, if caught, face Shari’a corporal punishments in the form of public flogging. This applies to bingo as well.
The following bingo websites accept players from Somalia:
Poker in Somalia
Online poker in Somalia: illegal, but the government lacks the infrastructure and money to regulate online gambling to any degree, therefore players are free to visit foreign gambling sites, players are not prosecuted
There are no legal poker clubs or casinos with poker tables in the country.
Online poker sites are also non existent in the country. All offline and online gamblers are flogged publicly, if caught, although there are no reported precedents of that in Somalia.
The following online poker sites accept players from Somalia.
The following online casino websites have poker and accept players from Somalia:
I couldn’t find any poker website that would allow players from Somalia. If you know of any please let me know in the comments section at the bottom of this page.
Sports betting in Somalia
Online sports betting in Somalia: illegal, but the government lacks the infrastructure and money to regulate online gambling to any degree, therefore players are free to visit foreign gambling sites, players are not prosecuted
There are no legal sports betting operations, neither online, nor offline in Somalia, due to all forms of gambling being illegal according to the teachings of Islam.
The only – sort of – legal gambling-like activity in the country is a reported ‘pirate stock exchange’ in the town of Haradheere, where locals can fund the operation of pirate companies with money or weapons and in return, can receive a cut from the ransoms they collect*.
Online gambling is virtually non-existent, although if caught gambling online, Somali residents probably face the same punishments as for land based gambling.
The online sportsbooks below accept registrations from Somalia.
*Source: Reuters – Somali sea gangs lure investors at pirate lair
The following online sportsbooks accept bettors from Somalia:
I couldn’t find any sports betting website that would accept Somalians. If you know of any, please let me know in the comments section at the bottom of this page.
Lottery in Somalia
Online lottery in Somalia: illegal, but the government lacks the infrastructure and money to regulate online gambling to any degree, therefore players are free to visit foreign gambling sites, players are not prosecuted
There is no national lottery in Somalia and no other licensed lottery operators either. In fact, all forms of gambling in the African country are prohibited under Islamic law – including lottery and online lottery as well.
Somali citizens who purchase lottery tickets online can face public flogging, if caught.
Bitcoin gambling in Somalia
Bitcoin gambling in Somalia: not specifically regulated
Experts suggest, that in countries with fragile economies, poor access to capital and overall poor financial infrastructure like Somalia, Bitcoin could present an alternative value exchange system*. However, nothing was done on this front in Somalia so far.
Needless to say, Bitcoin gambling is not specifically regulated in Somalia, but it’s almost certain, that in practice, it would fall into the same legal category as other forms of online and offline gambling.
The bitcoin casinos below accept players from Somalia.
*Source: Ben Parker: Bitcoin Has Potential in Fragile States
The following online casino websites accept bitcoin, litecoin and ethereum, and accept players from Somalia:
888 Casino, Poker, Bingo and Sportsbook
888 online gambling: casino games, poker, bingo & bookmaker, current 2022 promos, UK players accepted (no USA)
- €1500 welcome bonus package, promo code: WELCOME1
USA players are not accepted, but UK players are accepted. Full list of banned countries can be found in the drop down menu below. All in one gambling destination with poker, sports betting, live dealer games, bingo and over 1000 casino games, all accessibe with one players account (but on separate platforms). You can read the review of 888 Casino here.
Playthrough requirements, wagering limitations, terms and conditions and list of restricted countries
General bonus terms and conditions at the 888 gambling websites:
- welcome bonuses are only available for new players
- bonuses are available in US Dollars, GBP, Euros or Canadian Dollars
- the minimum deposit to receive any bonus is €10
- the bonus + deposit needs to be wagered within 7 days from date of activation
Playthrough requirement of the welcome bonus: 30x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 30 times before withdrawal. Playthrough requirement of the free spins: no free spins currently, free spins expire after 14 days
Wagering limitation:
| Game type: | Contribution: |
| Video slots & other types of slots, Scratch cards, Keno, Race, Arcade, Dice (and all other types of games not specifically mentioned below) | 100% |
| Pai Gow, Caribbean Poker, Triple Card Poker and other kinds of table poker | 20% |
| Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat, Live casino games, Video poker | 10% |
| Craps | 5% |
UPDATE COVID-19: The online casino does not use the global pandemic situation for advertisement purposes, or to encourage the usage of its online gambling platform. In fact, it's forbidden to use the namesake, name, likeness and official logo or any depiction of the casino/company (and this casino gambling blog) in conjunction with any marketing campaign, which uses the novel coronavirus pandemic for promotion.
888 Casino does not accept players from:
This page is part of Simon’s List – Legal Status of Online Gambling – a definitive guide to the legal status of all forms of online gambling activities in every country around the world.
Last updated: 2022-04-20
Gamble responsibly,
SimonTheSorcerer
 That's me, Simon, thank you for visiting. I'm an independent gambling blogger since 2012. In this sector dominated by huge media companies, casino operators and online marketing networks, who can easily spend $ millions on their online gambling blogs, it's not easy for an independent nobody like me to survive. It took me about 6 years, working my ass off, to even have a chance to be noticed by visitors like you. I'm lucky enough that for a few years now, I make enough money to be able to do this full time (before that, I had part-time jobs, ghost writing gigs, online marketing this and that). Now I can finally do this full time, thanks to visitors like you! And it means a lot! If you are interested, please bookmark this site (no social media profiles, I no longer have any, but please feel free to share anything on any social media networks, if you still use them). I don't have any money to advertise, and if you have a personal blog, any social media profile, please mention my gambling blog and link back to it. This the only way for a small website like this to grow. Thank you! |
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