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Sovereign state
Asia
ISO IQ

Iraq: gambling regulation and licensing

  • Online sports bettingUnregulated
  • Online casinoUnregulated
  • Lottery and iLotteryMonopoly
  • Land-based (reference)Prohibited
Regulator
Not yet verified
Headline tax
Not yet verified
Licence required
Not yet verified
Last verified
23 Sept 2026

Summary

Iraq has no licensing regime for commercial gambling and no gambling regulator. The Penal Code (Law No. 111 of 1969, art. 389) makes it an offence to open or run a place for games of chance open to the public, or to organise such games in a public place or in premises set aside for them. Operators and their cashiers face up to one year in prison and a fine, set at IQD 200,001 to 1,000,000 since Law No. 6 of 2008; stakes are confiscated and premises can be closed for a year. Anyone found gambling there faces up to one month in prison or a fine. The Code is written for physical premises, and the MENAFATF evaluation of 2012 noted that it does not reach internet gambling. The state has acted through the communications ministry instead. On 13 July 2026 the Minister of Communications ordered all online betting and gambling platforms blocked, citing economic risk, addictive algorithms and financial drain, after the ministry had blocked the Ludo app over its betting features in December 2025. The ministry blocks sites on court orders or on requests from the Communications and Media Commission, the security services, the government or parliament. The one lawful gambling product is Lotto Iraq Charity, run under licence from the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs under the Social Care Lottery Law No. 58 of 2000, with 36% of its proceeds going to care homes and disability institutions. No gambling tax regime or official market data was found in this review.

Common pitfalls

Reading the silence of the Penal Code on the internet as permission: there is no licence to obtain, and since July 2026 the government has ordered betting platforms blocked. Treating Lotto Iraq Charity as a sign of an open market: it is a single licensed charity lottery. Quoting the Penal Code fines at face value: the dinar amounts in art. 389 were replaced by the bands in Law No. 6 of 2008.

Key facts

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

Licensing

Licence required
Not yet verified
Application window
Not yet verified
Local establishment required
Not yet verified
Local server required
Not yet verified
Notable licensees
Lotto Iraq Charity (Social Care Lottery, licensed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs)
Barriers to entry
There is no licensing route for sports betting, casino or other commercial gambling, online or land-based: premises gambling is a criminal offence under Penal Code art. 389. The only lawful gambling product found is the charity lottery licensed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs under Law No. 58 of 2000.

Compliance

Minimum age
Not yet verified
National self-exclusion
Not yet verified
AML regime
Because casinos and gambling are criminalised, MENAFATF found in 2012 that gambling operators were not a regulated or supervised category of business under the anti-money laundering regime.
KYC requirements
Not yet verified
Stake limits
Not yet verified

Payments

Credit card ban
Not yet verified
Crypto stance
Not yet verified
Currency restrictions
Since 30 March 2022 the Central Bank of Iraq has barred the use of payment cards and e-wallets for speculation or trading in digital currencies, and has told banks and licensed non-bank financial institutions to warn customers of the risks. No gambling-specific payment blocking rule was found.

Enforcement

ISP blocking
Yes
DNS blocking
Not yet verified
Payment blocking
Not yet verified
App store takedowns
Not yet verified
Criminal penalties
Opening or running a gambling place, or organising games in one, and acting as its cashier: up to one year in prison and a fine, or either (Penal Code art. 389(1) and (2)); as a misdemeanour the fine band is IQD 200,001 to 1,000,000 (Law No. 6 of 2008). Stakes and equipment are confiscated and the premises may be closed for up to a year.
Operator liability
Criminal liability under Penal Code art. 389 for anyone who opens, runs or organises games of chance in a place open to the public or set aside for gambling, including its cashiers. Online operators are dealt with by blocking.
Player liability
Anyone found gambling in such a place faces up to one month in prison or a fine (Penal Code art. 389(3)). The Code creates no specific offence for gambling online.

Notable actions

  • All online betting and gambling platforms13 Jul 2026

    The Minister of Communications ordered them blocked across Iraq in the public interest.

  • Ludo mobile game9 Dec 2025

    Blocked by the Ministry of Communications, which cited the game's betting system among the harms to families.

  • Gambling offences in the Kurdistan Region

    The Kurdistan Region Police recorded 101 gambling offences between January 2010 and 1 May 2012; law enforcement officials told MENAFATF that underground casinos were typically small-scale.

Timeline

  1. 1969

    Penal Code No. 111 criminalises running and playing in gambling places (art. 389)

  2. 2000

    Social Care Lottery Law No. 58 provides the basis for the licensed charity lottery

  3. 5 Apr 2010

    Law No. 6 of 2008 on Penal Code fines takes effect on publication

  4. 28 Nov 2012

    MENAFATF adopts its first evaluation of Iraq, noting that the gambling ban does not reach internet gambling

  5. 30 Mar 2022

    Central Bank of Iraq bars the use of cards and e-wallets for trading digital currencies

  6. 2024

    MENAFATF publishes its second mutual evaluation of Iraq, based on an August 2023 visit

  7. 4 Aug 2024

    Minister of Labour hands over the largest Lotto Iraq Charity prize to date, IQD 1,141,573,992

  8. 9 Dec 2025

    Ministry of Communications blocks the Ludo app, citing its betting system

  9. 13 Jul 2026

    Minister of Communications orders all online betting and gambling platforms blocked

Outlook

The July 2026 blocking order is an administrative direction, not a change in the law: the Penal Code still addresses only physical premises, and no bill to create an online gambling offence was found in this review. Watch how the block is enforced, whether the Central Bank of Iraq adds payment measures, and the MENAFATF follow-up to the 2024 mutual evaluation of Iraq.

Frequently asked questions

Is online gambling legal in Iraq?
There is no licence for it. The Penal Code bans gambling places open to the public but does not address the internet, and on 13 July 2026 the Minister of Communications ordered all online betting and gambling platforms blocked.
What is the penalty for running a gambling operation in Iraq?
Up to one year in prison and a fine, or either, under Penal Code art. 389; the misdemeanour fine band is IQD 200,001 to 1,000,000 under Law No. 6 of 2008. Cashiers face the same penalty, stakes and equipment are confiscated, and the premises can be closed for up to a year.
Can players be prosecuted in Iraq?
Anyone found gambling in a gambling place faces up to one month in prison or a fine under art. 389(3). The Code creates no specific offence for gambling online.
Is there a legal lottery in Iraq?
Yes. Lotto Iraq Charity runs under licence from the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs under the Social Care Lottery Law No. 58 of 2000, selling through retail outlets, an app and its website, with 36% of proceeds going to care and disability institutions.
Who blocks gambling websites in Iraq?
The Ministry of Communications carries out blocking on final court decisions or on requests from the Communications and Media Commission, the security services, the government or parliament.
Who regulates gambling in Iraq?
Iraq has no dedicated gambling regulator.

Glossary and directory

Glossary terms for this profile

Sources

Source tiers. Tier 1: the law, official gazette, licence register or regulator itself. Tier 2: other official sources such as ministries, parliaments, courts and statistics agencies. Tier 3: established trade press, used to find and date the primary source. Tier 4: law firm and adviser guides, used as secondary confirmation. Only tier 1 and tier 2 sources can support a fact on their own.

  1. Penal Code, Law No. 111 of 1969 (Qanun al-Uqubat), official Arabic text as amended, arts. 23, 26, 27 and 389

    WIPO Lex (text of the Republic of Iraq) (translated)

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 1969
  2. Law No. 6 of 2008 amending the fines in Penal Code No. 111 of 1969, Al-Waqai al-Iraqiya No. 4149

    Ministry of Justice, Al-Waqai al-Iraqiya (official gazette) (translated)

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 5 Apr 2010
  3. Mutual Evaluation Report: Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism, Iraq

    Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF)

    Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 28 Nov 2012
  4. Iraq's measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing (MENAFATF mutual evaluation 2024)

    Financial Action Task Force

    Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 2024
  5. For the second time: the Ministry of Labour announces the winner of the Lotto Iraq Charity social care prize

    Iraqi News Agency (INA), state news agency (translated)

    The ministry described the 36% share as a share of sales here and as a share of profits in August 2024 (Iraqi Media Network). The record gives the percentage without choosing a base.

    Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 13 Oct 2024
  6. Charity Lotto: Minister al-Asadi hands a citizen the largest prize in Iraq's history

    Iraqi Media Network (public broadcaster) (translated)

    Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 4 Aug 2024
  7. Lotto Iraq Charity: about us, draws and results

    Lotto Iraq Charity (operator) (translated)

    Tier 4Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  8. Ministry of Communications: websites are blocked under final court decisions or requests from the Media Commission

    Iraqi News Agency (INA), state news agency (translated)

    Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 10 Sept 2024
  9. Ministry of Communications bans online gambling platforms and lifts the block on IMDb

    Alsumaria News (translated)

    Tier 3Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 13 Jul 2026
  10. Iraq bans online betting and gambling platforms and lifts the ban on IMDb

    Al Rasheed TV (translated)

    Tier 3Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 13 Jul 2026
  11. Iraqi Ministry of Communications bans "Ludo" game

    Kurdistan24

    Tier 3Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 9 Dec 2025
  12. The Central Bank decides to ban the use of cards and electronic wallets for speculation and trading in digital currencies

    Central Bank of Iraq (translated)

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 30 Mar 2022

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This page is industry reference information and not legal advice.

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