Egyptian online casinos for Real Money

Egypt first legalised gambling way back in 1955. With much of Egypt’s revenue brought in from tourism, that was always a smart decision. However, much of the country’s 100 million-plus population can’t get involved in gambling, as is often the case in predominantly Muslim countries.

Law No. 18 (1955) was replaced by 1/1973 Concerning Hotels and Touristic Resorts Activity, and it is the latter that forms the country’s stance on gambling today. What this bill effectively says is that casino gambling is legal for tourists. Locals cannot enter the premises of any casino in the country, and there are quite a few of those. Lottery games have been legal for locals since 1976, while sports betting became a legal option for Egyptians in 2005.

However, according to Penal Code No. 73, legal gambling games can include card, lottery, sports betting, TV contests, table games and electronic games are all deemed legal, but only in land-based venues and not for locals. Illegal gambling is punishable by detention (for up to six months) and/or a fine of up to 100 LE (one hundred Egyptian pounds).

Online gambling is illegal in all forms in the country. Egypt does things different from other countries where internet betting is illegal. They do not punish the offshore sites catering to Egyptians, but they do go after the players themselves. This means that one should certainly be cautious before betting on gambling in Egypt. It is worth noting that these rules only apply to Egyptian citizens – expats, non-citizens, and illegal migrants (oddly enough) are free to gamble online.

Gambling licenses are awarded to establishments by the Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities. Any business hoping to set up shop in Egypt must contact them and enquire about a list. An exception is made for lottery games. These are run by the Lottery Coalition. No licenses are awarded to online betting sites. Because gambling is frowned upon by most of the population, there are hefty taxes involved for the proprietors of gambling establishments.

As well as paying license fees, they must also churn out 50% of all gross gambling revenue earned in Egypt to the government.

Offshore casinos are understandably regulated and licensed elsewhere. While it is perfectly legal for these sites to cater to Egyptians, you are not permitted to play at them if you are an Egyptian citizen or national.

As you might imagine, slots aren’t high up on Egyptians’ wish lists when it comes to gambling games. Most favour table and card games as they are legal in Egypt. Furthermore, sports betting is also legal for all Egyptians, so these tend to draw something of a crowd. Lottery games and non-gambling games are also popular with the majority of Egyptians.

There are no known casino software providers that originate from Egypt. Furthermore, as there are no Egyptian online casinos, there isn’t an array of software providers that you would typically expect to see in casinos that accept Egyptian players. These offshore casinos tend to feature a varying range of games from numerous developers.

In short, there is no such thing as an Egyptian online casino. They simply don’t exist because Egypt doesn’t consider online gambling legal. However, there are internet casinos out there that accept Egyptian players. These are based offshore. Many even offer gameplay in Arabic, although only a sparse few accept the Egyptian pound as a currency option.

While these casinos may very well accept players from Egypt, they are seldom focused on them. It is entirely possible for players from other countries to join those sites. Again, we don’t recommend Egyptian citizens to play at any online casinos, although according to Egyptian law, expats and tourists should be permitted to do so. Even then, the laws can change or be interpreted differently, so you’re still taking something of a risk.