UAE Lottery Launches First Online Casino Despite Gambling Ban

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

And religiously, gambling is strictly haram – or forbidden – among the Muslim faithful.

Online roulette, blackjack, slots, poker, live dealer tables, and sports betting on popular local events like tennis, cricket, and soccer are all available on the new platform called "TrueWin."

Momentum has begun migrating users from an older platform, Dream Island, which functioned mainly as a low-risk lottery-style prize-draw site rather than a real-money casino or sportsbook.

Although the UAE is a target for grey-market gambling websites, the government frequently blocks or restricts them, with varying degrees of success. Now fully operational, TrueWin is the first locally accessible online gaming platform in the United Arab Emirates and the Arab Peninsula.

What gives, then?

 

Careful Balance

In November 2024, Momentum launched the first legal lottery in the region, which is licensed by the UAE’s federal government, and open to all irrespective of nationality or religion.

That was controversial in itself. According to the Quran, games of chance are "abominations of Satan's handiwork" and a "grave sin."

Globalist capitalism and a judicial system that is still partially based on Shariah and traditional Islamic principles coexist in the United Arab Emirates.

It's also an affluent, autocratic petrostate that understands it needs to diversify its economy because its oil will eventually run out. Furthermore, in the highly centralized UAE, very little happens without the government's implicit assent.

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

If the Wynn project proceeds as planned and another integrated resort is added in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, Bloomberg Intelligence analysts estimate that gaming revenue in the UAE could reach US$6.6 billion. That would outperform well-established markets like Singapore.