Iran: Is the death penalty threatening gamblers in online casino?

In Iran there could soon be a change in law with extensive consequences. For religious reasons, gambling in this country has always been illegal. In the future however taking part in online gambling could be enough to be sentenced to death.

The Islamic Criminal Law to date had not referred to the participation or operation of online casinos. Due to a legislative adjustment, the government now wants to completely ban online gambling - they are even talking about the death penalty.

Gambling is a crime in Iran

Gambling has long since been illegal in Iran due to religious reasons. This is governed by criminal law in the Articles 705 und 711. The problem: Here it does not talk explicitly about online-gambling. One wants to now adapt the relative regulations so that participation in online-gambling is illegal.

Gambling is, similar to homosexuality and prostitution, a crime in the category “Corruption on earth“. This type of sin is perceived as disturbance of Allah’s Order and therefore severely punished. Under particular requirements this crime could be punished by the death penalty.

After the legislation is amended, participating in online gambling could therefore lead to a long prison sentence or even to death. There are already several necessary signatures in hand for the law amendment. Besides, the law amendment has to withstand several legal reviews. The Association of Human Rights Activists “Iran Human Rights Monitor“ sounded alarm already last December and called for rethinking.

Banks should report suspicious transactions

The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) has already announced last December, that it had already prevented one thousand gambling transactions. Since March 2020, a total of more than 3,500 transactions have been prevented on online casinos.

Should the new gambling law come into force, the credit institutions could be forced, to report suspicious transactions to online gambling providers accordingly. Subsequently the authorities in Iran could prosecute both the operators and also the individual gamblers.

Show remorse - or be sentenced to death

As it looks at this current point in time, those concerned in Iran have two possibilities, if they are caught gambling illegally. They either show remorse, and promise not to repeat such a crime or they run into danger of being sentenced to death in court. In Iran the death penalty is however seen as the last permissible means. Till a gambler is sentenced to death, this same gambler must have supposedly already played several times illegally or behaved persistently stubborn.

Influencer should be extradited because of illegal gambler

The current case of the influencer Sasha Sobhani shows that Iranian citizens are even protected from prosecution when they are abroad. He has 2,6 Million followers on Instagram. In spite of this, the man who meanwhile is living in Spain, is being threatened with extradition to Iran. The allegation:

He operated an illegal gambling site abroad. Sobhani insists on his innocence and admitted to have concluded an advertising contract with some gambling companies.

Human Rights activists sound alarm

Human Rights Organisations have long since been warning of the partly questionable practices of the government. The main aim for the activists is mostly to abolish the death penalty worldwide and to assure a fair hearing in a crime. In Iran it is not uncommon, that especially gruesome methods like stoning or lashing are used when the death penalty is implemented. For this reason, the Human Rights Organisation “Human Rights Monitor“ warns also of the gambling law in Iran.

The Deputy Chairperson of the responsible Justice and Legal Commission speaks about this:

“If the activities (…) are carried out repeatedly, the gamblers are arrested. Those who do not show any remorse, and insist to continue with the crime, are sentenced because of Corruption on Earth. Then one can face a death sentence.“

Iran executes the most people worldwide.

The Iranian Government is still executing several people every year. In 2019, according to official figures, 251 men and women were executed here. In no other country in the world were there so many death penalties, which were actually carried out. Other countries, were the death penalty is often made use of, are Saudi Arabia (184 executions) und Iraq (100).

Countries with the most death penalties carried out in 2019:

1. Iran (251 dead)
2. Saudi -Arabia (184 dead)
3. Iraq (100 dead)
4. Egypt (32 dead)
5. USA (22 dead)
6. Pakistan (14 dead)
7. Somalia (12 dead)
8. South Sudan (11 dead)
9. Jemen (7 dead)
10. Singapore (4 dead)

Source: Statista.com

Conclusion

Whilst in Germany the market for online gambling will open this year, Iran will under certain conditions, introduce the death penalty for participating in illegal gambling. In spite of similar population numbers of around 82 million, the two countries could hardly be more different. In Iran the “Gambling ban“ has religious reasons above all. For this reason, in the future, one wants to punish relevant crimes severely. Just in 2019, 251 people were sentenced to death in Iran, in no other country in the world were there more.

Image Source: https://pixabay.com/de/illustrations/iran-flagge-naher-osten-grunge-1151139/