Simon’s Jordan Lottery and Gambling Guide
Jordan Lottery and Gambling Guide
Jordan, officially The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is an Arab kingdom in Western Asia on the East Bank of the Jordan River. The country shares borders with Saudi Arabia to the south and east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north, and Israel and Palestine to the west. Jordan’s population is around 9,5 million. The country’s capital and largest city is Amman with approximately 4 million residents. The predominant religion of the country is Sunni Islam while there is a small Christian minority (6%). Although Jordan is a constitutional monarchy, the king holds significant power. The king is the Head of State, Commander-in-Chief, and appoints executive branch consisting of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet of Jordan, and the regional governors.
Jordan was ruled by different kingdoms and empires throughout most of its history such as Alexander The Great’s empire, and the Roman Empire amongst others. Before the Roman rule, the Greeks founded numerous cities like the modern-day Jordan’s capital, Amman (then known as Philadelphia). After the fall of the Roman empire and then the Byzantine Empire, the territory came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans ruled the territory for 4 centuries until the collapse of the empire at the end of World War I. After the war, Jordan (known at the time as Transjordan) became a British Mandate State and remained under British supervision until the end of the second World War. The country gained independence in 1946, becoming the kingdom which is intact ever since.
All forms of Gambling in Jordan are strictly forbidden. The anti-gambling mindset can be traced back to the teachings of Islam. The Sharia law forbids all kinds of gambling because Islam sees it addicting, evil, and a cause for people to forget their social responsibilities. These laws are heavily enforced too. Online gambling is forbidden too, but the government does not ban foreign websites and does not prosecute players either. Therefore, many offshore online casinos accept players from Jordan.
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Summary:
- Casino gambling in Jordan
- Bingo in Jordan
- Poker in Jordan
- Sports betting in Jordan
- Lottery in Jordan
- Bitcoin gambling in Jordan
Casino gambling in Jordan
Online casino gambling in Jordan: illegal, players are not prosecuted
Land-based gambling is strictly forbidden in Jordan. Gambling is illegal mainly because the Islamic teachings. Therefore, there aren’t any legally operating land-based casinos in the country. Some reports suggest that in 2007, the Jordanian PM fixed a deal to build a casino in the country, but nothing materialized.* Online gambling is illegal too in Jordan, but the government does not block foreign gambling providers and does not prosecute players either.
*Al Jazeera: Jordan’s PM Approved Controversial Casino
Bingo in Jordan
Online bingo in Jordan: illegal, players are not prosecuted
Bingo is a quite popular game around the world, especially in the United States. Despite its popularity, it still counts as a form of gambling so it is illegal in Jordan. Therefore, there aren’t any land-based bingo halls in the country. However, players are not prosecuted if they decide to play at an offshore online casino although online gambling is illegal too.
Poker in Jordan
Online poker in Jordan: illegal, players are not prosecuted
Poker is quite possibly the most popular and widely known casino game in the world. The main reasons behind its ever growing popularity are the constant television broadcasts, regularly held world championships, and the game’s competitive nature. Many would argue that poker is based on skill rather than luck but in nature, it still counts as a form of gambling as it is mostly played in casinos to this day. All forms of gambling are illegal in Jordan, so the only option for Jordanian players to enjoy poker is to visit an offshore online casino. Numerous offshore online casinos accept players from Jordan. The government does not prosecute players.
Sports betting in Jordan
Online sports betting in Jordan: illegal, players are not prosecuted
Sports betting is one of the most popular and common forms of gambling around the world. However, in Jordan gambling is strictly forbidden due to the Sharia law. Online gambling is illegal too so there aren’t any domestic gambling providers either. Players are not prosecuted if they decide to bet at an offshore online bookmaker, though.
Lottery in Jordan
Online lottery in Jordan: illegal, players are not prosecuted
Arguably, the lottery is the most common form of gambling. What proves its popularity better than almost every country where gambling is legal has a national lottery. Unfortunately, that’s not the case in Jordan. Gambling is completely illegal, even online gambling is forbidden. However, players from Jordan can play in numerous offshore online casinos as the government does not block those sites and does not prosecute the players either. A lot of foreign online casinos accept Jordanian players.
Bitcoin gambling in Jordan
Bitcoin gambling in Jordan: illegal, players are not prosecuted
Bitcoin is a digital currency often referred to as a “cryptocurrency” introduced in 2008. It gained a huge popularity worldwide the following years as an alternative mean of payment. Bitcoin gambling appeared shortly after the introduction of the currency and continues to gain popularity as more and more online casinos started to specialize in it. However, Bitcoin is still a relatively new phenomenon so only just a handful of countries issued laws concerning it. Some countries see Bitcoin as an asset rather than a currency (like Lithuania or Norway for example). Bitcoin trades (due to its digital nature) mostly occur via the internet so technically Bitcoin gambling falls into the online gambling genre. In Jordan, all forms of gambling are illegal. We have to assume that Bitcoin gambling is too, but there aren’t any specific laws concerning either Bitcoin gambling nor Bitcoin in general as of now.
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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: 2016.02.03.
