Bahrain: gambling regulation and licensing
- Online sports bettingProhibited
- Online casinoProhibited
- Online pokerProhibited
- 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
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.
Sources
- Legislative Decree No. (15) of 1976 promulgating the Penal Code, official English translation with amendments included as of April 2026, Article 308 (Gambling) and Article 5 (territorial scope)
Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission, Kingdom of Bahrain (LLOC)
The LLOC states that only the Arabic text in the Official Gazette is authoritative; Article 308 was checked against the Arabic text and matches. Some non-official online guides give the fine for gambling in public as BD 300; the official consolidated text gives BD 100, and BD 500 for repeat offences and organisers.
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 8 Apr 1976 - قانون العقوبات الصادر بالمرسوم بقانون رقم (15) لسنة 1976، المادة 308 (المقامرة)
Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission, Kingdom of Bahrain (LLOC)
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 8 Apr 1976 - Legislative Decree No. (15) of 1976 with respect to enactment of the Penal Code: legislation record (8 April 1976, Official Gazette No. 1170, 39 amendments)
Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission, Kingdom of Bahrain (LLOC)
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026 - Amendments to Legislative Decree No. (15) of 1976 (list of 39 amending instruments, latest 14 May 2026)
Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission, Kingdom of Bahrain (LLOC)
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026 - Law No. (16) of 2026 amending certain provisions of the Penal Code (Official Gazette No. 3883, 14 May 2026)
Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission, Kingdom of Bahrain (LLOC)
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 14 May 2026 - The Constitution of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Article 2
Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission, Kingdom of Bahrain (LLOC)
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026 - Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 4 Sept 2018
- Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 14 Nov 2006
- CBB Rulebook Volume 2 (Islamic Banks), BC-1.1.4: requirements for raffles and lotteries run as bank promotions (added October 2007, amended January 2022)
Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB Rulebook)
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026 - Promotional and Sales Campaign Request
Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Kingdom of Bahrain
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026 - Consumer Protection Center: Guidelines for Marketing Campaigns Requests
Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Consumer Protection Directorate
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026 - Tier 3Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 5 Nov 2018