Is gambling legal in Bahrain?

No. Article 308 of the Penal Code of 1976 punishes gambling in a public place and organising gambling, and defines gambling as any game in which winning or losing depends on chance. No law provides a licence for any form of gambling.

Is online gambling legal in Bahrain?

No law permits or licenses it. Article 308 does not mention remote play and its player offence is limited to public places, but organising or preparing the means of play is an offence, and Article 5 extends the Code to offences whose results occur in Bahrain and to participants acting from abroad.

What are the penalties for gambling in Bahrain?

Gambling in a public place carries up to three months in prison or a fine of up to BD 100, rising to up to one year or BD 500 for a repeat within a year. Managing a gambling venue or organising play carries up to one year or up to BD 500.

Are there casinos in Bahrain?

No. Casinos are not permitted, and the 2018 FATF-MENAFATF evaluation rated its casino supervision criterion not applicable for that reason.

Is there a national lottery, and are prize draws allowed?

There is no lottery. Businesses may run prize draws only as promotional campaigns licensed by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and Islamic retail banks running raffles must also meet Central Bank of Bahrain rules, including auditor-witnessed draws.

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Sovereign state

Asia

ISO BH

Bahrain: gambling regulation and licensing

Online sports bettingProhibited
Online casinoProhibited
Online pokerProhibited
Lottery and iLotteryProhibited
Land-based (reference)Prohibited

Regulator: Not yet verified
Headline tax: Not yet verified
Licence required: No
Last verified: 23 Sept 2026

Summary

Bahrain prohibits gambling in every form and has no gambling regulator, no gambling licence and no lawful lottery. Article 2 of the Constitution makes the Islamic Sharia a principal source of legislation, and the operative rule is Article 308 of the Penal Code of 1976. It defines a gambling game as any game in which winning or losing depends on chance rather than on factors that can be controlled. Gambling in a public place carries up to three months' imprisonment or a fine of up to BD 100, and up to a year or BD 500 for a repeat within a year of a final judgment. Managing a public place for gambling, or taking any part in organising, supervising or preparing the play, carries up to a year or up to BD 500. The official English text consolidated to April 2026 shows Article 308 without amendment, and the Penal Code amendment of May 2026 does not touch it. Casinos are not permitted, and the 2018 FATF-MENAFATF evaluation treated casino supervision as not applicable for that reason. No statute found mentions online gambling. Article 308 does not address remote play, and its player offence is limited to public places, so the position of a Bahraini betting online at home rests on untested interpretation; operators organising play that reaches Bahrain are exposed through Article 5, which extends the Code to offences whose results occur in the country. The only lawful draws are commercial prize promotions licensed by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, including bank raffles under Central Bank of Bahrain rules. No bill to legalise or regulate gambling was found.

Common pitfalls

Quoting a BD 300 fine for gambling in public: some online guides do, but the official consolidated text gives BD 100, and BD 500 for repeat offences and for organisers. Treating the lack of an online gambling law as a gap to operate in: Article 308 covers organising any game of chance and Article 5 reaches participants abroad whose acts have results in Bahrain. Confusing licensed promotional prize draws with a lottery licence: they are case-by-case marketing permits from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

Key facts

Regulator: Not yet verified
Regulator type: No dedicated regulator
Headline tax: Not yet verified
Licence required: No
Minimum age: Not yet verified
Tax base: Not yet verified

How to get a gambling licence in Bahrain

Online casino and online sports betting are prohibited in Bahrain, so no licence currently permits offering them. The licensing regime as recorded is set out below.

Our record shows no gambling licence requirement in Bahrain.

Bahrain has no dedicated gambling regulator.

Applications: Closed at present

Built from the record on this page, last verified 23 Sept 2026. The Licensing and Taxation sections carry the full detail and sources.

Legal framework

Primary statutes

Penal Code, promulgated by Legislative Decree No. (15) of 1976
قانون العقوبات الصادر بالمرسوم بقانون رقم (15) لسنة 1976
Year
1976
In force
Yes
Summary
Issued on 20 March 1976 and published in Official Gazette No. 1170 on 8 April 1976, replacing the Penal Code of 1955. Part VI, Chapter 6 (Gambling) consists of the single Article 308: gambling in a public place is punishable by up to three months' imprisonment or a fine of up to BD 100, and a repeat within one year of a final judgment by up to one year or up to BD 500. Anyone who manages a public place for gambling games, or takes part in any capacity in organising the play, supervising it or preparing its means, faces up to one year or up to BD 500. A gambling game is any game in which winning or losing depends on chance rather than on factors that can be determined and controlled. Under Article 5 the Code applies to an offence whose act or result occurs in Bahrain, and to every participant even if his part was played abroad.
Constitution of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Article 2
In force
Yes
Summary
Islam is the religion of the State and the Islamic Sharia is a principal source of legislation.

Secondary instruments

CBB Rulebook, Volume 2 (Islamic Banks), BC-1.1.4
Year
2007
In force
Yes
Summary
Islamic retail banks running raffles or lotteries as promotions must have documented fair-play procedures, obtain the prior approval of the Ministry responsible for commerce, disclose draw dates in advance, have each draw witnessed by the internal auditor (and by the external auditor where prizes total BD 10,000 or more), and commission an annual external IT audit of the draw system reported to the CBB.
Ministry of Industry and Commerce guidelines for marketing campaign requests
In force
Yes
Summary
Businesses need a Ministry licence for promotional campaigns. Applicants file draw coupons or scratch-and-win cards, terms in Arabic and English and proof of the prizes; valuable prizes such as cars and property are registered in the Ministry's name or backed by a bank guarantee; a regional or international campaign drawn abroad needs the permit from the country of the draw.

Key amendments

14 May 2026The most recent of the 39 amendments to the Penal Code listed by the LLOC (Law No. 16 of 2026, which replaces Article 55 on rehabilitation programmes and renames prisons as reform and rehabilitation centres) does not touch Article 308; the official English text consolidated to April 2026 shows Article 308 in its 1976 form.

Licensing

Licence required: No
Application window: Closed
Local establishment required: Not yet verified
Local server required: Not yet verified
Barriers to entry: There is nothing to apply for. No Bahraini law provides a licence for betting, casino, poker or lottery, Article 308 of the Penal Code makes organising gambling an offence, and casinos are not permitted. The only lawful draws are prize promotions licensed case by case by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, including bank raffles subject to CBB rules; they are marketing tools, not a gambling licence.

Compliance

Minimum age: Not yet verified
National self-exclusion: Not yet verified
AML regime: There is no gambling AML regime because there is no lawful gambling sector. The 2018 FATF-MENAFATF evaluation rated the casino criterion of Recommendation 28 (criterion 28.1) not applicable because gambling is prohibited under Article 308 and there are no casinos; the assessors also examined the extent of illegal gambling. Illegal gambling was among the predicate offences in the four money-laundering prosecutions under way at the time of the 2006 evaluation.
KYC requirements: Not yet verified
Stake limits: Not yet verified

Advertising

Advertising permitted: Not yet verified

Restrictions

Promotional campaigns with prize draws or scratch-and-win cards need a licence from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, with the advertisement poster, and any coupons and terms, in Arabic and English
A regional or international promotion drawn outside Bahrain needs a copy of the permit from the country where the draw is held
Islamic retail banks running raffles must disclose the draw date in advance and may not postpone it without a stated reason (CBB Rulebook BC-1.1.4)

Enforcement

ISP blocking: Not yet verified
DNS blocking: Not yet verified
Payment blocking: Not yet verified
App store takedowns: Not yet verified
Criminal penalties: Gambling in a public place: up to three months or a fine of up to BD 100; a repeat within one year of a final judgment: up to one year or up to BD 500. Managing a public place for gambling, or taking part in organising, supervising or preparing the means of play: up to one year or up to BD 500 (Penal Code Article 308).
Operator liability: Anyone who manages a public place for gambling or takes part in any capacity in organising or supervising the play or preparing its means commits an offence (Article 308). Article 5 extends the Code to offences whose result occurs in Bahrain and to participants acting from abroad; no prosecution of an offshore online operator was found.
Player liability: Gambling in a public place is an offence under Article 308. The article does not penalise private play in terms, so the position of a player gambling online from home is not settled by the text.

Notable actions

32 expatriates from several Asian countries, Manama4 Nov 2018
Arrested for gambling after a video circulated on social media; cash was seized and the case was prepared for referral to the Public Prosecution, according to a statement by the Director-General of Investigation and Forensic Science reported by Gulf News
Four money-laundering prosecutions14 Nov 2006
Reported as under way in the 2006 MENAFATF evaluation; the predicate offences were fraud, corruption, illegal gambling and pandering, and all began with suspicious transaction reports filed by banks

Timeline

8 Apr 1976
Penal Code (Legislative Decree No. 15 of 1976) published in the Official Gazette, with Article 308 prohibiting gambling
14 Nov 2006
MENAFATF adopts a mutual evaluation of Bahrain prepared by the IMF, recording that casinos are not permitted
4 Sept 2018
FATF-MENAFATF mutual evaluation published, rating the casino criterion (28.1) not applicable because gambling is prohibited under Article 308
4 Nov 2018
Police announce the arrest of 32 expatriates for gambling in Manama
14 May 2026
Law No. 16 of 2026 amends the Penal Code; Article 308 is unchanged

Outlook

Nothing points to a change. The Penal Code has been amended 39 times, most recently by Law No. 16 of 2026, without altering Article 308, and no bill on gambling was found. What to watch is enforcement against online gambling and any use of Article 5 against operators whose games reach Bahraini players.

Frequently asked questions

Is gambling legal in Bahrain?: No. Article 308 of the Penal Code of 1976 punishes gambling in a public place and organising gambling, and defines gambling as any game in which winning or losing depends on chance. No law provides a licence for any form of gambling.
Is online gambling legal in Bahrain?: No law permits or licenses it. Article 308 does not mention remote play and its player offence is limited to public places, but organising or preparing the means of play is an offence, and Article 5 extends the Code to offences whose results occur in Bahrain and to participants acting from abroad.
What are the penalties for gambling in Bahrain?: Gambling in a public place carries up to three months in prison or a fine of up to BD 100, rising to up to one year or BD 500 for a repeat within a year. Managing a gambling venue or organising play carries up to one year or up to BD 500.
Are there casinos in Bahrain?: No. Casinos are not permitted, and the 2018 FATF-MENAFATF evaluation rated its casino supervision criterion not applicable for that reason.
Is there a national lottery, and are prize draws allowed?: There is no lottery. Businesses may run prize draws only as promotional campaigns licensed by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and Islamic retail banks running raffles must also meet Central Bank of Bahrain rules, including auditor-witnessed draws.
Who regulates gambling in Bahrain?: Bahrain has no dedicated gambling regulator.

Glossary and directory

Glossary terms for this profile

AML (Anti-Money Laundering)

iGT coverage of Bahrain

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