Saudi Arabia Casinos Guide (on the picture: Makkah Clock Royal Tower in Mecca, does not have a casino, there are no casinos in the Kingdom)
This is a guide to brick and mortar as well as online casinos in Saudi Arabia (officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, an oil rich Muslim kingdom on the Arabian Peninsula, has a population of 34.2 million). Find out which are the best land-based casinos and licensed online casino sites in Saudi Arabia, or learn more about the legal status of casino gambling in the country.
Contents:
- List of online casinos, which accept players from Saudi Arabia
- Online casinos Saudi Arabia
- Land-based casinos Saudi Arabia
- Bitcoin casinos Saudi Arabia
Online casinos in Saudi Arabia
Legal status of digital casinos in Saudi Arabia: illegal, players are prosecuted
Online casinos are illegal in Saudi Arabia, according to Islamic Law, which is officially integrated into the legal system (Sharia courts preside over matters related to illegal gambling and Islamic religious police enforces them)1.
Gambling (maisir) is strictly forbidden (haram) for Saudi Arabian citizens under Shari’a law, this includes internet casinos2. Both illegal operators and players alike are punished, players can expect fines and up to 6 months in prison.
There are no domestic, Saudi licensed digital casinos.
Internet censorship in the country is one of the most pervasive in the world, it targets, among other things, anti-religious content, gambling platforms and porn sites, and most offshore online casinos are blocked.
The Communications and Information Technology Commission of the country is responsible for the blocking of gambling websites (additionally, every internet user can report gambling websites, which are then blocked)3.
Players, who play in foreign online casinos from Saudi Arabia are subject to the same punishments as those who partake in illegal land based gambling (fines, up to 6 months imprisonment). And this is enforced, e.g.: it was reported that the Saudi religious police hired hackers to prosecute owners of Twitter accounts, which were associated with gambling, porn and other moral offences4.
Therefore, we absolutely do not recommend Saudi Arabian citizens (or tourists) to play in online casinos from the country (for this reason the usual gambling ads have been removed from the webpage).
| Warning: Be very careful, most gambling blogs online claim that Saudi players are not prosecuted for playing in offshore internet casinos. This is absolutely not true.
These online gambling sites only perpetuate such false information to make money by pushing unscrupulous (often illegally operating) online casinos. Sadly many gullible Saudi Arabian nationals and tourists fall for these kinds of websites, which can have very severe consequences for them (imprisonment, fines, expulsion). Obviously these gambling blogs know this, and they do it regardless. That is why most of them are owned by offshore shell companies, so that their identity remains hidden and they can not be sued (often these illegally operating online casinos, which advertise on these sites, also own these blogs as well, through shell companies, quite a common practice in the online gambling sector sadly). Be very careful with any such gambling blog, they are only trying to make a quick buck, and they are not above unethical, or in this case downright illegal means to try to get rich quick (and avoid any gambling companies, which advertise with such gambling blogs, they should not be trusted). Do not visit gambling websites if you are located in Saudi Arabia and do no try to place bets online, there is a very real chance that you will get into trouble for it. |
By scrolling below you can find a list of online casinos, which accept Saudi Arabian players.
Can tourists play online while visiting Saudi Arabia?
Yes, tourists, expats, migrants can play online freely while enjoying their stay in the country.
Online casino licensing and regulatory body of Saudi Arabia: N/A, online casino licenses are not issued in Saudi Arabia.
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Contact me through the live chat, it's in the bottom right corner of the website, or in the comments section at the bottom of this page, with a link to the website you wish to advertise. If you qualify, I will give you my email address where we can discuss everything (I won't be putting my email address on the page, due to the extreme amount of spam I receive as it is).
In exchange: In order to appear for free on this website, you have to link back to this guide, from your website. It must be your website, your employer's website, a law blog or something similar. The link doesn't have to be in a prominent position, or on the homepage. It can be placed at the bottom of an unimportant page, where people don't see it, that's fine with me. And 1 sentence is enough, something like this: "We are featured on Simon's Gambling and Casino Blog, at <link here>."
That's all, if you are interested, get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Taxation of online casino sites in Saudi Arabia: N/A, there is no specific online casino tax in Saudi Arabia.
For the players, taxation of online casino gambling winnings in Saudi Arabia: N/A, not officially determined.
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How to get featured
- send me a link to your website, or your employer's website
- send me 1-2 sentences about you and/or your business etc.., something that describes the business, what you do, something that makes potential clients interested
- send me one single picture of your company's logo, or a picture of your office, or one of your certificates, credentials which you are proud of etc... (but don't send a picture of yourself, for legal reasons I want to avoid uploading pictures of people)
The picture must be 150x150 pixels.
Contact me through the live chat, it's in the bottom right corner of the website, or in the comments section at the bottom of this page, with a link to the website you wish to advertise. If you qualify, I will give you my email address where we can discuss everything (I won't be putting my email address on the page, due to the extreme amount of spam I receive as it is).
In exchange: In order to appear for free on this website, you have to link back to this guide, from your website. It must be your website, your employer's website, a law blog or something similar. The link doesn't have to be in a prominent position, or on the homepage. It can be placed at the bottom of an unimportant page, where people don't see it, that's fine with me. And 1 sentence is enough, something like this: "We are featured on Simon's Gambling and Casino Blog, at <link here>."
That's all, if you are interested, get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Age requirement of Saudi Arabia online casinos: N/A, no officially set gambling age.
Sources, main pieces of the Saudi Arabia online casino gambling legislation:
1Wikipedia – Legal System of Saudi Arabia
2Islam Awareness – Islam Prohibits Gambling
3Reporters without Borders – Saudi Arabia: prime centre of content blocking (Archived)
4Religious Police Hires Ethical Hackers to Arrest Promoters of Adult Content on Twitter
List of online casinos, which accept players from Saudi Arabia
The following online gambling websites accept players from Saudi Arabia:
We do not recommend playing in online casinos from Saudi Arabia, it is illegal and there is a very real risk of getting into trouble with the authorities. Do no attempt to visit offshore casino websites if you are located in Saudi Arabia.
Land-based casinos in Saudi Arabia
Legal status of casinos in Saudi Arabia: illegal, players are prosecuted
Casinos are illegal in Saudi Arabia, according to Islamic Law, which is officially integrated into the legal system (Sharia courts preside over matters related to illegal gambling and Islamic religious police enforces them)1.
The prohibition on gambling is the result of the predominant religion of the country, Islam. According to the Islamic holy book, the Quran2 all types of gambling (maisir) are forbidden (haram) for all Muslims (but in Saudi Arabia it applies to tourists and expats as well), because:
- Muslims must obtain wealth through hard, honest work, and not through sheer luck or games, where luck plays a significant role,
- recreational gambling is also prohibited, since it is viewed as an addictive pastime, on the same level as alcoholism, and Muslims addicted to gambling (or alcohol) will turn away from God and neglect their responsibilities to society and their families.
Consequently, there aren’t any casino in Saudi Arabia, and there have never been any in the history of the country.
UPDATE 2022: Although, there have been talks since 2016 about authorizing a casino hotel in the capital, Riyadh, which would only be open to foreigners4. It is unlikely that the project will see the light of day prior to 2030, if at all.
Even without the proposed casino complex Saudi Arabia attracts around 20.2 million visitors per year5. Which is significantly above the average for an Arab country, for context: Pakistan, with a population of 227 million people gets less than 1 million visitors per year.
/Comment: Although, in all honesty, many of the travelers are poor migrant workers from India, Nepal and Bangladesh, who are worked to death, often literally, under the kafala system6. Although, some improvements have been made to system in 2021./
UPDATE COVID-19: These are pre-coronavirus numbers, the number of visitors has fallen drastically because of the global pandemic. However, the government hasn’t published any official figures since 2019, therefore the extent of the decrease is not known, at the time of writing.
If you are thinking about visiting the country watch the video below to get an idea of what to expect:
Keep in mind that the ban on gambling extends to tourists as well, migrants and tourists regularly get arrested for participating in illegal gambling7, the ban is very much enforced.
Additionally, even “instruments used for gambling” (e.g.: a deck of poker cards) are not tolerated in the country, and tourists should not try to bring in any such items, otherwise they will get into trouble with the authorities.
You can find all the currently operating brick and mortar casinos in the list below.
Can locals visit the casinos in Saudi Arabia?
N/A, there are no casinos in Saudi Arabia.
Casino licensing and regulatory body of Saudi Arabia: N/A, casino licenses are not issued in Saudi Arabia.
Free advertisement for licensed local lawyers, law firms from this country
And all this for free. Click on the drop down section if you are interested and want to get listed.
How to get featured
- send me a link to your website, or your employer's website
- send me 1-2 sentences about you and/or your business etc.., something that describes the business, what you do, something that makes potential clients interested
- send me one single picture of your company's logo, or a picture of your office, or one of your certificates, credentials which you are proud of etc... (but don't send a picture of yourself, for legal reasons I want to avoid uploading pictures of people)
The picture must be 150x150 pixels.
Contact me through the live chat, it's in the bottom right corner of the website, or in the comments section at the bottom of this page, with a link to the website you wish to advertise. If you qualify, I will give you my email address where we can discuss everything (I won't be putting my email address on the page, due to the extreme amount of spam I receive as it is).
In exchange: In order to appear for free on this website, you have to link back to this guide, from your website. It must be your website, your employer's website, a law blog or something similar. The link doesn't have to be in a prominent position, or on the homepage. It can be placed at the bottom of an unimportant page, where people don't see it, that's fine with me. And 1 sentence is enough, something like this: "We are featured on Simon's Gambling and Casino Blog, at <link here>."
That's all, if you are interested, get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Taxation of brick & mortar gambling establishments in Saudi Arabia: N/A, there is no specific casino tax in Saudi Arabia.
For the players, taxation of casino winnings in Saudi Arabia: N/A, not officially determined.
Free advertisement for local accountants, CPAs and accounting firms from this country
And all this for free. Click on the drop down section if you are interested and want to get listed.
How to get featured
- send me a link to your website, or your employer's website
- send me 1-2 sentences about you and/or your business etc.., something that describes the business, what you do, something that makes potential clients interested
- send me one single picture of your company's logo, or a picture of your office, or one of your certificates, credentials which you are proud of etc... (but don't send a picture of yourself, for legal reasons I want to avoid uploading pictures of people)
The picture must be 150x150 pixels.
Contact me through the live chat, it's in the bottom right corner of the website, or in the comments section at the bottom of this page, with a link to the website you wish to advertise. If you qualify, I will give you my email address where we can discuss everything (I won't be putting my email address on the page, due to the extreme amount of spam I receive as it is).
In exchange: In order to appear for free on this website, you have to link back to this guide, from your website. It must be your website, your employer's website, a law blog or something similar. The link doesn't have to be in a prominent position, or on the homepage. It can be placed at the bottom of an unimportant page, where people don't see it, that's fine with me. And 1 sentence is enough, something like this: "We are featured on Simon's Gambling and Casino Blog, at <link here>."
That's all, if you are interested, get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Age requirement of land-based casinos, slot parlours in Saudi Arabia: N/A, no officially set gambling age.
Sources, main pieces of the land-based casino legislation in Saudi Arabia:
1Wikipedia – Legal System of Saudi Arabia
2Islam Awareness – Islam Prohibits Gambling
3Blue Abaya – Items Banned from Bringing into Saudi Arabia
4Global Traveler – Saudi Arabia to Build its Own Casino City
5The World Bank – International tourism, number of arrivals – Saudi Arabia
6AlJazeera – Saudi Arabia announces changes to Kafala system
7Gulf Insider – Saudi: 17 expats caught over gambling in Riyadh
List of all casinos in Saudi Arabia
This is a list of the casinos currently in operation in Saudi Arabia, with address, opening hours, number and types of games, dress code, entrance fee, reviews and a video of each gambling establishment, if one is available.
N/A, there aren’t any casinos in Saudi Arabia, there were never any in the country’s history.
Other forms of online gambling in Saudi Arabia
All forms of online gambling are outlawed in Saudi Arabia.
The only legal form of gambling in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the horse race raffle (which is not seen as gambling by the government). The horse raffle is not available online.
You can learn more about the legal status of the various forms of offline and online gambling (including the horse raffle) in Saudi Arabia here.
Bitcoin casinos Saudi Arabia
Legal status: not regulated
Virtual currencies are not regulated in Saudi Arabia.
/Comment: However, they are not illegal, unlike in some other Muslim countries, e.g. Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta issued a fatwa (official interpretation of sharia law) banning the usage, selling, mining of bitcoins./
Bitcoin casinos are not specifically regulated as a result. However, they are illegal, because the general ban on games of chance apply to them as well.
The use of bitcoin is not restricted in Saudi Arabia. Despite some interpretation of Islamic teachings, which state that having money, which doesn’t represent value in itself and only used for speculation does not comply with the teachings of Islam, and it falls under usury.
However, in Saudi Arabia digital currencies are perceived as more ‘Shari’a compliant’* for now.
Interesting fact: At one point the controversial Houthi government in the disputed territory of Sana introduced a digital currency, the Digital Riyal**. However, this project only lasted 8 months and it was not officially sanctioned by the government of Saudi Arabia. This further illustrates that cryptocurrencies are seen in as Sharia compliant in the country, unlike in Egypt.
The bitcoin casinos below accept players from Saudi Arabia.
Sources:
*Reddit – Bitcoin in Saudi Arabia
**Al Estiklal – Digital Riyal, Houthis Propose Digital Currency
The following casino websites accept players from Saudi Arabia:
We do not recommend placing bets online from Saudi Arabia, it is illegal and there is a very real risk of getting into trouble with the authorities. Do no attempt to visit offshore bitcoin gambling websites if you are located in Saudi Arabia.
FAQ – frequently asked questions about Saudi Arabia online casinos
FAQ section The following are some of the frequently asked questions about casinos in Saudi Arabia. Click on the dropdown menu below to see the questions and answers. Q&A
No, casinos are illegal in Saudi Arabia.
No, online casinos are illegal in Saudi Arabia.
No, there aren't any casinos in the country.
No, Saudi Arabian players can not play in online casinos, it's illegal.
Some unscrupulous and illegally operating offshore online casinos accept players from Saudi Arabia. However, using such sites illegal for Saudi Arabian citizens.
There are no casinos in Saudi Arabia.
No, the casino gambling ban applies to tourists, expats and migrants as well. This is enforced, some tourists have been prosecuted for placing bets online while visiting Saudi Arabia.
The age limit of both land-based and digital casinos is not officially set. There is no official gambling age in Saudi Arabia.
There are no casinos in Saudi Arabia.
The taxation of gambling winnings is not officially determined.
No, online casino licenses are not issued in Saudi Arabia.
There are no casinos in Saudi Arabia.
There are no casinos in Saudi Arabia.
There are no casinos in Saudi Arabia.
There are no casinos in Saudi Arabia. Are casinos legal in Saudi Arabia?
Are online casinos legal in Saudi Arabia?
Are there any casinos in Saudi Arabia?
Can I play in an online casino from Saudi Arabia?
Are bitcoin casinos legal in Saudi Arabia?
Are there online casinos, which accept players from Saudi Arabia?
Can tourists play in the casinos of Saudi Arabia?
Can tourists place bets in online casinos from Saudi Arabia?
What is the age requirement of Saudi Arabian online casinos?
Do casinos in Saudi Arabia have dress codes?
How much tax do I have to pay in Saudi Arabia on my gambling winnings from an online casino?
Are there any digital casinos licensed in Saudi Arabia?
How many casinos are there in Saudi Arabia?
Do casinos in Saudi Arabia have entrance fees?
Which is the biggest casino in Saudi Arabia?
Which is the biggest casino group in Saudi Arabia?
Simon’s Guide to Land-based and Online Casinos in Saudi Arabia is part of Simon’s Online Casino Guide (with interactive map).
Last updated: 2022-05-12
Gamble responsibly,
SimonTheSorcerer
Last Updated on 2022-05-12 by Simon
 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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