Will gambling soon become legal in Dubai?

Gambling of any kind has to date been strictly forbidden in Islamic Dubai. The reason for this is that gambling is considered a deadly sin in the Sharia and therefore it is harshly penalised. However, according to rumours, gambling could soon be legalised in Dubai. This was stated in a WhatsApp message which is doing the rounds. However to date, the Media Office of the government has denied this rumour vehemently.

As the Internet portal „Lovin Dubai“ reported a few days ago, the legalisation of gambling was described in detail in a WhatsApp message which is making the rounds. According to this information, in mid-May there should be a pompous party to celebrate the end of the fasting period, during which party, the legalisation of gambling will be celebrated. 

Will nine Hotels in Dubai receive a gambling licence?

According to the rumours, nine hotels in the Emirates of Dubai should be among the first to get an official gambling licence. This will permit them, to offer different gambling games under strict conditions, although the Sharia describes this as a deadly sin. Exactly on the feast to celebrate the end of the fasting period, there should be an event at the nine hotels, during which feast, wealthy guests can gamble.

In fact the interested guests should shell out 10,000 VAE-Dirham each, which when converted is around 2,250 euro. The event can be booked in the following hotels: Caesars Palace Hotel, Fairmont Hotel, Hotels Metropolitan, Al Habtoor Hotel. The guests should not only be able to look forward to a wide variety of drinks and food, but also look forward to different gambling offers.

Is this all only “Fake news“?

The Media Office of the government spoke out about this. They explicitly insisted that all this is “fake news” and that there are no plans to legalise the gambling sector. Accordingly, neither will any gambling licences be issued to hotels, nor will there be any possibility to take part in any gambling events.

In fact, a complete legalisation of the gambling sector in Dubai seems relatively impossible. At the end of the day, Dubai is a mainly Muslim country in which the Sharia is followed.

And here it is clearly and unambiguously written, that gambling as well as any form of advertising for gambling is strictly forbidden.

In the field of Sports betting, things look quite different. These are legal but under strict regulations (e.g. camel racing or horseracing). Further to this, once a month, a lottery is held in the country, and this is officially organised and therefore permitted. In this case, the participants must purchase the so-called bonds beforehand and the latter are then used to promote, for example, infrastructural projects. However this is in fact not a lottery but a type of “financial investment“. On the basis of these grounds, the Sharia permits such an activity at least.

Conclusion

According to information on the internet portal “Lovin Dubai” there could soon be partial legalisation of gambling in Dubai. However, to date, the source of information is just a WhatsApp message which is being circulated. It is questionable, that in ta mainly Muslim country like Dubai, some hotels will be the first to acquire a gambling licence. Ultimately, the Sharia forbids any type of gambling. We cannot wait to see whether those responsible in Dubai will prove to be a bit more liberal in favour of gambling in the coming months and years, or else if they will keep the conservative attitude. In any case, the official Media Office is denying the legalisation of gambling.

Image source: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/burj-khalifa-emirate-dubai-2212978/