Kuwait Gambling Law

Overview of Kuwait’s Stance on Gambling

Kuwait’s stance on gambling is 100% shaped by Islamic influence. According to religious norms, gambling, or “maysir,” is considered an ungodly activity associated with sinful desires for quick wealth, undue risk, exploitation of others’ assets, and overall moral decline. Given Islam's strong influence in Kuwait and other Arab countries, these religious principles have been embedded in actual laws.

If you’re a resident or a tourist, you won’t find any land-based or online clubs operating legally in the country. Kuwait doesn’t regulate providers or issue licenses, as the law prohibits all current gambling and betting activities. As a result, gamblers register and play on sites located in other domain zones, where they must complete KYC procedures to verify their identity and protect account security. Whether this is good or bad depends on what these people think.

Legal Status of Gambling in Kuwait

Let’s move on to a direct analysis of the Kuwaiti Penal Code and the penalties it sets for local gamblers (both tourists and citizens). Article 208 establishes criminal liability for those who organize or participate in gambling sessions within the country. The law applies equally to both land-based and online gambling.

If your involvement in gambling sessions is proven, you may face up to one year in prison or a fine not exceeding 1,000 Kuwaiti Dinars. It’s worth noting that local courts primarily impose fines, and actual prison sentences are statistically rare. You should also be aware of Article 209 of the Kuwaiti Penal Code. Here’s what it stipulates:

1. Visiting land-based and online gambling platforms within the country is prohibited.
2. This regulation applies to both citizens and tourists.
3. Violators may face detention of up to three months.
4. Alternatively, the court may impose a fine of 300 Kuwaiti Dinars.

Citizens and residents may face long-term implications due to involvement in gambling activities. In particular, this can impact employment opportunities, as companies are unlikely to be interested in hiring individuals associated with gambling. Society generally holds a negative view of gambling. While you’re unlikely to face outright persecution, disapproving looks may follow you for a long time.

At the same time, over 80% of all court cases in the past decade have involved only land-based clubs. Kuwait does not have a moral police force to check each resident’s registration on online casinos. Additionally, Internet providers do not use scripts or any software to track user activity on a specific list of platforms. This is why online gambling on foreign platforms is highly likely to go without legal consequences for you.

Religious Influence on Gambling Legislation

As in any other Arab country, religious principles have a strong influence on legislative norms in Kuwait, and the gambling sector is no exception. For the most part, Kuwaiti law has been shaped according to the norms of the Quran and Hadith. This is why all gambling actions, referred to as "maysir," are classified as haram activities. Islam views them as precursors to moral decline and societal degradation. Consequently, laws were introduced to ban gambling and betting in all their forms.

Certainly, the Quran does not directly state that Muslims are prohibited from entering a gambling club, spinning the reels, or hitting the jackpot. The term “gambling” didn’t originally exist in the Arabic language. This is why so-called “maysir” activities cover a broad range of ungodly actions, such as consuming alcohol, taking mind-altering substances, idolatry, and the perils of alcohol and gambling addiction. Here’s a surah that potentially formed the basis for Kuwait’s gambling laws:

• "O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters to other than Allah, and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful." (Quran 5:90)

The religious aspect of the gambling ban can be seen as somewhat subjective. At the same time, Islam identifies it as an act of recklessness, moral instability, and a desire to oppose the religious view of life. In other words, the ban aims to keep society within the bounds of morality as defined by the Quran. Additionally, Sharia law has influenced the development of anti-gambling legislation. It views the acquisition of material wealth and money through gambling as “qimar,” an unethical and socially unacceptable behavior. This is why Kuwait’s criminal code has partially implemented principles from the Quran and Sharia law.

Types of Gambling and Legal Interpretations

Let’s discuss how the blend of religion and law regulates gambling activity in Kuwait. You won’t find a single legal casino or card club in the country. Both land-based and virtual gambling clubs are prohibited. The state has banned all forms of roulette, blackjack, and other table games, as well as slots and virtual/real poker. This approach also applies to all forms of sports betting or betting on any world event. Here’s how the law interprets it:

1. Organizing or participating in gambling activities is illegal.
2. Attempts to establish gambling centers, offline or online, are punishable by law.
3. Visiting websites with gambling or betting options is a violation of the law.

Technically, most providers do not block access to 100% of all casinos, as new domain names and mirrors appear every day. In most cases, Kuwaiti gamblers don’t even need to use a VPN to create an account and play at any foreign online casino. This observation is not intended as an encouragement to violate the country’s laws but rather as a statement on the difficulty of controlling the gambling space.

Modern gambling platforms offer the option to use cryptocurrencies and not share account data with Kuwaiti law enforcement. In other words, unless there is close surveillance or monitoring of web traffic, your activities on web platforms are likely to go unnoticed. For this reason, Kuwaiti residents must independently decide whether or not they wish to be involved in any form of gambling activities. Given that most court cases result only in fines, the judicial system is somewhat less severe toward gambling compared to other illegal activities. It’s difficult to take sides or comment on the fairness of gambling laws in this situation.

Setting aside religious norms, most Kuwaitis view gambling with a neutral-to-disapproving attitude. They don’t openly support it, but they don’t accuse gamblers of every mortal sin, either. Moreover, there have been cases where both tourists and Kuwaiti citizens received only verbal warnings for card games on the street or connecting to online slots via smartphones. As you can see, the mix of approaches and interpretations surrounding gambling laws is indeed ambiguous.

Conclusion

Let’s summarize all the nuances of Kuwait’s gambling legislation, religious norms, and moral aspects. Gambling in all its forms is prohibited in this country. There are actual punitive measures that have been enforced against gamblers on multiple occasions. At the same time, the legal system does not actively target online gamblers or make it a priority to block access to all foreign sites. In this situation, Kuwaiti gamblers should make their own informed decisions. If you decide to play for real money in any online gambling club, then this is your choice. Knowing the legal and moral nuances, you can always have at least several options.