According to various analysts, the gaming business of the United Arab Emirates has a huge potential in terms of revenue, therefore last year’s establishment of the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) as national gambling authority responsible for coordinating regulatory activities in the Emirates, including the management of the licensing process, was welcomed as a near future opening of the market.

It appears that the government has pushed to handle gambling regulation on a federal level, as opposed to being the responsibility of individual emirates.

It is also said the UAE plans on establishing a 25% revenue tax on mass market gambling, with premium gaming subject to an 8% tax. In the meantime, the GCGRA has made its first big move by granting operator The Game LLC the licence to run the United Arab Emirates' first national lottery. The company will operate as the UAE Lottery, offering a range of lottery games and other products designed to cater to players’ variety of interests and financial preferences.

This, along with the GCGRA’s own words that appear on its website: “Commercial Gaming refers to any game of chance, or combination of chance and skill, where an amount of money, in cash or cash equivalents, is wagered – i.e. placed as a bet – for the purpose of winning a sum of money or other valuable items.” has contributed to mounting speculation that the UAE indeed plans for a possible online offering. However, at present, according to UAE federal law, any person who engages in gambling can be subject to two years in prison and an AED50,000 (£10,700/$13,600/€12,600) fine.

Interested in global regulatory developments? Contact Chevron Group’s experts Lawrence Marchese (lawrence@chevron.group), Nikolas Lotz (nikolas@chevron.group), and Thees Buschmann (thees@chevron.group). Follow us on LinkedIn for more industry related news.

Quelle: Chevron Consultants