Gambling in Dubai

As anywhere else in UAE, gambling is strictly forbidden in Dubai. This emirate follows the Islamic law strictly, and there are no offline gambling houses. There is a chance of finding a land based casino only in one of the most luxurious places like hotels, but these casinos are usually available only to VIP foreign guests. 

Another option for offline gambling is cruise ships. The ships are required to stop any gambling activity when they are docked, but when they are out in the sea, the casino games are available to all passengers. However, muslims and especially locals of Dubai are not recommended to use cruise ship casinos, because they as locals can still face punishment in some cases. So, cruise ships are mostly for tourists. 

Dubai follows extremely strict laws that prohibit gambling on casino games, and betting on any games whatsoever. Foreigners do not enjoy milder treatment - they can't play casino games, too. The punishment is severe, it usually includes a huge fine, and even imprisonment. The only option for legal betting is camel and horse racing. 

Racing and Gambling in Dubai

As you are already aware, there are no legal gambling houses in Dubai. Cruise ships casinos can be counted at a stretch. The only option for some legal bets and excitement is camel and horse racing. Racing as a bet-friendly sport has been part of the local culture for long centuries, so it is still allowed, and both locals and tourists can try some real money bets. But be ready that the allowed bets are tiny, symbolic, or can even be forbidden. 

If you are wondering whether one can compensate for lack of entertainment offline with some international online casinos, you are so very wrong. Online casinos are not only legally prohibited, they are blocked and blacklisted, and the list of such blocked platforms is updated literally every month. Players caught on online gambling can face up to 10 years of prison, plus impressive fines. This applies to locals and foreigners alike, and there are no alleviating circumstances. 

If you meet lots of posts like the best online casinos in the UAE, better do not get caught on the illusion that web gambling is possible in Dubai. Even if you are looking for free online roulette for fun, want to play games in Demo mode without actual betting, or have a VPN installed on your device, you are still under risk. There are special regulatory bodies that track access to various websites from Dubai, and they also track usage of VPN software on the territory of the emirate. You should better avoid the risk and forget about gambling altogether while in Dubai. 

If you would like to know real and reliable information about gambling in different jurisdictions, check out some reputable online casino reviewing sites, like Casinority. Casinority is an independent reviewer that explores and analyzes online casinos all over the world. On this platform, you will always find true and objective info about gambling laws and possibilities. 

Conclusion

Gambling is a complicated topic for UAE. The main complication is that most tourists are not aware of the strict laws, and believe that to them, different rules will be applied. But this is not the case, there are no gambling facilities but racing tracks, and the racing events are rare. All other potential alternatives are so risky that they are better to be avoided altogether. If you are a guest in Dubai, better leave your betting entertainments for later, when you are back home or at least in a different country, where such activities are not punished with imprisonment.