Is gambling legal in Brunei?

No. The Common Gaming Houses Act makes keeping, managing, financing and promoting gambling offences, and playing in a gaming house, gaming in public and buying a lottery ticket are offences too. The Act contains no licence for any form of gambling.

Is online gambling legal in Brunei?

No law permits or licenses it. The Common Gaming Houses Act does not mention online play in terms, but its lottery definition covers draws run outside Brunei, gaming machines include computer programs, and internet providers must ensure their services are not used for games and lotteries that are offences under the Act.

What are the penalties for gambling offences in Brunei?

Keeping or promoting a gaming house or lottery: BND 5,000 to BND 50,000, up to three years, or both. Dealing in gaming machines: BND 10,000 to BND 100,000, up to five years, or both, per machine. Playing in a gaming house or gaming in public: a fine of BND 10,000 and six months. Buying a lottery ticket: BND 2,000.

Are there casinos or a national lottery in Brunei?

No. The 2023 APG evaluation records that operating casinos is prohibited and that there is no casino, and no law establishes a state or licensed lottery.

Who enforces the gambling laws in Brunei?

The Royal Brunei Police Force, through its Criminal Investigation Department and police districts, with prosecutions heard by the Court of a Magistrate. There is no gambling regulator.

Sovereign state

Asia

ISO BN

Brunei: 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: 24 Sept 2026

Summary

Brunei prohibits gambling in every form and has no gambling regulator, no licence and no lottery. The governing law is the Common Gaming Houses Act (Chapter 28), in force since 1 January 1920 and last amended in 2008. It defines gaming as playing any game of chance, or of mixed chance and skill, for money, lists 44 games from baccarat and roulette to poker and mah jong, and treats a lottery as covered whether it is run inside or outside Brunei. Keeping or promoting a gaming house or lottery carries a fine of BND 5,000 to BND 50,000 and up to three years in prison, dealing in gaming machines, which include any electronic device or computer program for a game of chance, up to BND 100,000 and five years per machine, and playing in a gaming house or in public a fine of BND 10,000 and six months. Buying a lottery ticket is itself an offence. The Act says nothing about online gambling in terms, but internet providers must ensure their services are not used for games and lotteries that are offences under it. The 2023 APG anti-money laundering evaluation records that no casino operates and that operating a gambling house is among the ten predicate offences posing the greatest money laundering risk, with 108 predicate investigations into operating a gambling house between 2017 and November 2022. Enforcement is by the Royal Brunei Police Force, which still raids gambling sessions in private homes, as in Tutong in July 2026. The Syariah Penal Code contains no gambling offence. No bill to legalise or regulate gambling was found.

Common pitfalls

Looking for gambling in the Syariah Penal Code: its list of offences does not include gambling, and the operative law is the civil Common Gaming Houses Act. Reading the Public Entertainment Act licence for prize machines and games of chance as a gaming licence: it is an entertainment permit and does not displace the offences in the Common Gaming Houses Act. Reading the listing of "internet casinos" in the Criminal Asset Recovery Order as a sign that casinos can be licensed: it follows the FATF definition, and the APG records that none can operate. Treating the Act's silence on websites as permission: its lottery definition reaches draws held outside Brunei and internet providers must keep their services clear of unlawful games.

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

Common Gaming Houses Act, Chapter 28 (Enactment No. 3 of 1919), Revised Edition 2019
Akta Rumah-rumah Perjudian Terbuka, Penggal 28
Year
1919
In force
Yes
Summary
In force from 1 January 1920 and last amended by S 20/2008. "Gaming" is playing any game of chance, or of mixed chance and skill, for money or money's worth, including any game in the Schedule and playing or operating a gaming machine. A "gaming machine" is any mechanical, electrical or electronic machine or device, including any computer program used in it, designed or adapted for a game of chance or mixed chance and skill from which winnings in money or money's worth may become payable. A "lottery" is any game, method or device by which money or money's worth is distributed by chance or lot, whether held, drawn or managed within or outside Brunei Darussalam, and every lottery is presumed public until the contrary is proved. A common gaming house includes any place used for gaming to which the public has access, any place kept for habitual gaming, any place used for a public lottery, and any place where four or more people are gaming, a scheduled game is played or a fee is paid for permission to game. Section 4: keeping or using a place as a common gaming house, letting a place be so used, managing one or assisting in a public lottery, receiving money for a lottery chance or selling a lottery ticket, drawing or declaring lottery results, publishing lottery tickets, prize lists or results, advertising a gaming house or inviting anyone to play in one or buy a lottery ticket, and running forecast or mainly chance competitions through a newspaper or a business: a fine of BND 5,000 to BND 50,000, up to three years' imprisonment, or both. Section 4A: dealing in, importing, supplying, leasing, servicing or modifying a gaming machine: a fine of BND 10,000 to BND 100,000, up to five years, or both, for every machine seized. Section 5: financing or profiting from a gaming house or public lottery: a fine of BND 20,000 and 12 months. Section 6: playing in a common gaming house: a fine of BND 10,000 and six months. Section 7: gaming in a public place: a fine of BND 10,000 and six months. Section 8: instigating or facilitating public gaming: the same. Section 9: staking on a public lottery or buying a lottery ticket: a fine of BND 2,000. The Schedule lists 44 games, among them baccarat, blackjack, mah jong, poker, race and roulette. Police may arrest without warrant anyone found gaming in public; convicted boys may be caned instead of other punishment (section 22), repeat offenders may be bound over (section 23), fines may be paid to informers (section 24), and the Sultan in Council may exempt a house or locality (section 25). There is no licensing regime.
Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification, 2001 (S 13/2001), made under section 12 of the Broadcasting Act (Chapter 180)
Year
2001
In force
Yes
Summary
In force from 12 February 2001. Internet service providers and internet content providers operate under a class licence. Condition 13(a) requires every licensee to ensure its service is not used for, or in furtherance of, games and lotteries whose conduct is an offence under the Common Gaming Houses Act unless the licensee is exempted from that Act; condition 7 requires compliance with the laws of Brunei; condition 14 obliges a licensee to remove a programme when the Minister says it is against the public interest or public order.

Secondary instruments

Public Entertainment Act, Chapter 181, sections 2 and 3
Year
1997
In force
Yes
Summary
Public entertainment, which the Act defines to include machines and devices giving chances of prizes in money or kind, pin-tables and video games, and organised competitions at games of skill or chance, may be provided only in an approved place and under a licence from a Licensing Officer appointed by the Minister responsible for home affairs. This is an entertainment licence; the Act does not say that it authorises anything that the Common Gaming Houses Act makes an offence.
Criminal Asset Recovery Order, 2012 (S 47/2012), section 2
Year
2012
In force
Yes
Summary
The anti-money laundering law. Its definition of designated non-financial businesses and professions includes "casinos, including internet casinos", and its definition of transaction includes any payment made in respect of a lottery, bet or other game of chance. The definition carries the FATF standard into Brunei law; it does not create a casino licence.
Syariah Penal Code, Chapter 275 (S 69/2013), Revised Edition 2024
Year
2013
In force
Yes
Summary
Included for what it does not contain: the offences in Part 4 (hadd offences, qatl and hurt, and the general offences in sections 192 to 251) do not include gambling, so gambling is dealt with under the civil Common Gaming Houses Act for Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Key amendments

18 Feb 2008Common Gaming Houses Act (Amendment) Order, 2008 (S 20/2008): amended the definition of a common gaming house, defined gaming machines and added the section 4A offence of dealing in them with forfeiture under section 13A, amended section 4 including paragraphs (g), on inviting people to play in a gaming house or buy lottery tickets, and (h), on forecast competitions, set the section 4 penalty and the section 9 fine at their current levels, added a Schedule of 44 games that need not be specifically proved, and added a police power of arrest without warrant (section 14A).

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. The Common Gaming Houses Act contains no licence for betting, casino, poker, gaming machines or lottery, and makes keeping, financing, supplying and promoting gambling offences. The only relief it allows is an exemption order by the Sultan in Council under section 25, and none was found. The 2023 APG evaluation records that no casino operates in Brunei.

Compliance

Minimum age: Not yet verified
National self-exclusion: Not yet verified
AML regime: There is no gambling AML regime in practice because there is no lawful gambling sector. The Criminal Asset Recovery Order 2012 lists casinos, including internet casinos, among designated non-financial businesses, but the 2023 APG evaluation records that operating casinos is prohibited and none exists. Operating a gambling house is one of the ten predicate offences ranked highest for money laundering risk in Brunei's 2020 threat assessment; five money laundering investigations with that predicate were opened in 2021.
KYC requirements: Not yet verified
Stake limits: Not yet verified

Advertising

Advertising permitted: No
Penalties for breach: An offence under section 4 carries a fine of BND 5,000 to BND 50,000, up to three years' imprisonment, or both.

Restrictions

Announcing or publishing that a place is kept as a common gaming house, or in any other way inviting or soliciting anyone to play in one or to buy a lottery ticket or stake on a lottery, is an offence (Common Gaming Houses Act, section 4(g))
Printing or publishing lottery tickets, prize lists, results or announcements of a public lottery is an offence (section 4(f))
Running, through a newspaper or other periodical or in connection with a trade or business, a competition with prizes for forecasting an event, or any other competition in which success does not depend to a substantial degree on skill, is an offence (section 4(h))
Internet service and content providers must ensure their services are not used for, or in furtherance of, games and lotteries that are offences under the Act (Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification 2001, condition 13(a))

Payments

Credit card ban: Not yet verified
Crypto stance: Not yet verified
Payment blocking regime: No gambling-specific payment blocking rule was found. Under sections 11 and 12 of the Common Gaming Houses Act every sale of a lottery ticket is void and money paid for a ticket or a lottery chance is recoverable by the payer; advancing money to establish a gaming house or a public lottery, or profiting from one, is an offence under section 5.

Enforcement

ISP blocking: Not yet verified
DNS blocking: Not yet verified
Payment blocking: Not yet verified
App store takedowns: Not yet verified
Criminal penalties: Keeping, managing or promoting a gaming house or public lottery: BND 5,000 to BND 50,000, up to three years, or both. Dealing in gaming machines: BND 10,000 to BND 100,000, up to five years, or both, per machine. Financing or profiting from gambling: BND 20,000 and 12 months. Playing in a gaming house or gaming in public: BND 10,000 and six months. Buying a lottery ticket: BND 2,000. Obstructing police: up to BND 5,000, one year, or both (Common Gaming Houses Act, sections 4 to 9 and 19B). Professional gamblers and promoters of public gaming may be banished (section 21).
Operator liability: Anyone who keeps, manages or assists in a common gaming house or public lottery, finances or profits from one, advertises one or deals in gaming machines commits an offence. A lottery is covered whether it is held, drawn or managed inside or outside Brunei, but no provision reaches an offshore website expressly and no prosecution of an offshore online operator was found.
Player liability: Playing in a common gaming house, gaming in a public place and buying a lottery ticket or staking on a lottery are offences (sections 6, 7 and 9); anyone found in a raided gaming house is presumed to have been playing. The Act does not address a player gambling online from home in terms.

Notable actions

Katam-katam and Paikaw gambling at a house in Kampung Batang Mitus, Tutong27 Jul 2026
Tutong Police District raid with the Royal Customs and Excise Department: 30 suspects aged 14 to 70 detained, cash of more than BND 21,900 in several currencies and gambling equipment seized; investigated under section 6(1) of the Common Gaming Houses Act
Operators of illegal gambling houses (2017 to 9 November 2022, aggregate)9 Nov 2022
108 predicate investigations for operating a gambling house, BND 208,190 in assets seized or frozen and BND 10,262 confiscated; five money laundering investigations with that predicate opened in 2021, according to the 2023 APG evaluation

Timeline

1 Jan 1920
Common Gaming Houses Enactment (No. 3 of 1919) comes into force
12 Feb 2001
Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification 2001 in force, requiring internet providers to keep their services free of games and lotteries that are offences under the Common Gaming Houses Act
18 Feb 2008
Common Gaming Houses Act (Amendment) Order 2008 made, adding the gaming machine offence and the Schedule of 44 games
30 Jun 2012
Criminal Asset Recovery Order 2012 published, listing casinos including internet casinos among designated non-financial businesses
2019
Revised edition of the Common Gaming Houses Act published (B.L.R.O. 1/2019)
Jul 2023
APG adopts Brunei's mutual evaluation, recording that casinos and gambling establishments are prohibited
27 Jul 2026
Tutong police raid a gambling session and detain 30 suspects under the Common Gaming Houses Act

Outlook

Nothing points to legalisation: no bill, consultation or exemption order under the Common Gaming Houses Act was found. What to watch is enforcement: further police raids under the Act, and whether Brunei's follow-up reporting to the APG on its anti-money laundering framework says more about illegal gambling proceeds.

Frequently asked questions

Is gambling legal in Brunei?: No. The Common Gaming Houses Act makes keeping, managing, financing and promoting gambling offences, and playing in a gaming house, gaming in public and buying a lottery ticket are offences too. The Act contains no licence for any form of gambling.
Is online gambling legal in Brunei?: No law permits or licenses it. The Common Gaming Houses Act does not mention online play in terms, but its lottery definition covers draws run outside Brunei, gaming machines include computer programs, and internet providers must ensure their services are not used for games and lotteries that are offences under the Act.
What are the penalties for gambling offences in Brunei?: Keeping or promoting a gaming house or lottery: BND 5,000 to BND 50,000, up to three years, or both. Dealing in gaming machines: BND 10,000 to BND 100,000, up to five years, or both, per machine. Playing in a gaming house or gaming in public: a fine of BND 10,000 and six months. Buying a lottery ticket: BND 2,000.
Are there casinos or a national lottery in Brunei?: No. The 2023 APG evaluation records that operating casinos is prohibited and that there is no casino, and no law establishes a state or licensed lottery.
Who enforces the gambling laws in Brunei?: The Royal Brunei Police Force, through its Criminal Investigation Department and police districts, with prosecutions heard by the Court of a Magistrate. There is no gambling regulator.

Sources

Common Gaming Houses Act, Chapter 28, Revised Edition 2019 (B.L.R.O. 1/2019), sections 2 to 26 and Schedule
Attorney General's Chambers, Brunei Darussalam (Laws of Brunei)
Amounts in the Laws of Brunei are written as "$" and are Brunei dollars (BND). The Malay title of the Act is Akta Rumah-rumah Perjudian Terbuka, Penggal 28.
Tier 1Accessed 24 Sept 2026Published 2019
Common Gaming Houses Act (Amendment) Order, 2008 (S 20/2008), made 18 February 2008
Attorney General's Chambers, Brunei Darussalam (Laws of Brunei)
The gazette PDF is a scan; only the last page (the end of the new Schedule of games and the date the Order was made) is machine readable. The amendments themselves were read from the provisions marked [S 20/2008] in the 2019 revised edition.
Tier 1Accessed 24 Sept 2026Published 18 Feb 2008
Syariah Penal Code, Chapter 275, Revised Edition 2024 (B.L.R.O. 3/2024), arrangement of sections
Attorney General's Chambers, Brunei Darussalam (Laws of Brunei)
Tier 1Accessed 24 Sept 2026Published 2024
Public Entertainment Act, Chapter 181, Revised Edition 2013, sections 2 and 3
Attorney General's Chambers, Brunei Darussalam (Laws of Brunei)
Tier 1Accessed 24 Sept 2026Published 2013
Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification, 2001 (S 13/2001), Schedule, conditions 7, 13 and 14
Attorney General's Chambers, Brunei Darussalam (Laws of Brunei)
Tier 1Accessed 24 Sept 2026Published 12 Feb 2001
Criminal Asset Recovery Order, 2012 (S 47/2012), section 2 (definitions of designated non-financial businesses and professions and of transaction)
Attorney General's Chambers, Brunei Darussalam (Laws of Brunei)
Tier 1Accessed 24 Sept 2026Published 30 Jun 2012
Anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing measures: Brunei Darussalam, Third Round Mutual Evaluation Report (adopted by the APG in July 2023, published August 2023), paras 35, 61, 79, 231, 371 and 515, Tables 3.13 and 3.24
Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), published by the FATF
Tier 2Accessed 24 Sept 2026Published Aug 2023
Gambling activity successfully crushed (Kegiatan perjudian berjaya ditumpaskan): Tutong Police District raid, Kampung Batang Mitus, 27 July 2026
Pelita Brunei, Information Department, Prime Minister's Office (press release of the Royal Brunei Police Force) (translated)
Tier 2Accessed 24 Sept 2026Published 28 Jul 2026
Immoral activity successfully crushed (Kegiatan tidak bermoral berjaya ditumpaskan): operation by the Gambling Suppression and Vice Prevention Investigation Unit (USPPPM), Criminal Investigation Department
Pelita Brunei, Information Department, Prime Minister's Office (press release of the Royal Brunei Police Force) (translated)
Tier 2Accessed 24 Sept 2026Published 19 Sept 2026