Legal casino gambling age in Bahrain
Bahrain follows a prohibition model for gambling. Gambling is an offence under the Penal Code issued by Decree-Law No. 15 of 1976, and the sources reviewed for this guide show no licensing system, no gambling regulator and no lawful casino, lottery or betting operator in the Kingdom. The law applies to gambling in person and, by extension, to online gambling offered to people in Bahrain: no online gambling licence exists, and internet access is filtered through a centralised blocking system managed by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA). Police have prosecuted people for organising and for taking part in gambling in private premises. This guide explains the legal basis of the ban, how it is enforced, the position of players, the treatment of horse racing and prize competitions, taxation, support services and recent developments, including the contrasting decision of the neighbouring United Arab Emirates to license commercial gaming.
Key points
- Gambling is prohibited under the Penal Code (Decree-Law No. 15 of 1976). In notifications to the World Trade Organization, Bahrain identifies Article 308 of the Penal Code as its gambling provision.
- There is no licensing regime, no gambling regulator and no licensed online operator. Importing gambling machines and devices is banned on public morals grounds.
- Since August 2016, websites have been blocked through a centralised system managed by the TRA; no official list of blocked gambling sites is published.
- People found gambling, not only organisers, have been convicted: in 2021 a criminal court jailed six men for six months for gambling and ordered their deportation.
- Bahrain has no personal income tax and, because no gambling is licensed, no gambling tax. No national self-exclusion scheme or gambling helpline was found.
Last reviewed: 7 October 2026.
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Historical development
Bahrain’s modern criminal law dates from the Penal Code of 1976. It was issued by the then Amir, Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, on 20 March 1976 as Decree-Law No. 15 of 1976, and its issuing decree repealed the earlier Bahrain Penal Code of 1955 and its amendments (text of the decree-law, Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission). According to the UN ESCWA Arab legislation portal, the code was published in the Official Gazette on 8 April 1976 (ESCWA, Law 15 of 1976 Penal Code). The code has been amended many times since; the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission (LLOC), the official legislation portal, lists 39 amending instruments (LLOC, amendments to the Penal Code).
The prohibition of gambling also reflects the constitutional order. Article 2 of the Constitution of 2002 (as revised in 2017) provides that “The religion of the State is Islam” and that “The Islamic Shari’a is a principal source for legislation.” Bahrain’s government has invoked public morals and religious reasons when justifying its import ban on gambling equipment at the WTO (see below).
Horse racing, by contrast, has a long and officially supported history. The Bahrain Turf Club states that a collection of pure-bred Arabian horses has been preserved on the island by the rulers of Bahrain for over 200 years, that a committee to unify racing was formed in 1948, and that in 1977 the Amir issued a decree establishing the Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club (REHC) as the principal racing authority (Bahrain Turf Club, about the club). Racing in Bahrain developed without the pari-mutuel or bookmaker betting found in most racing jurisdictions; no lawful betting on races was identified in the sources reviewed.
Legal framework
The Penal Code (Decree-Law No. 15 of 1976)
The Penal Code is the main source of the gambling ban. The full Arabic text and an English version are available from the LLOC legislation database, which also holds the image of the original Gazette text. Bahrain’s own notifications to the WTO’s quantitative restrictions database describe the relevant provision as “Law No 15 of 1976/article 308: Gambling” (WTO, Bahrain measure 6210) and “Article (308) of the Penal Code Law of 1976 regarding Gambling” (WTO, Bahrain measure 6214).
The consolidated text of the gambling article could not be retrieved in machine-readable form for this review. This guide therefore does not reproduce its wording or the exact range of prison terms and fines. Some secondary websites state specific penalty figures, but these could not be checked against the official text and are not repeated here. Readers who need the precise wording should consult the consolidated code on the LLOC portal or a Bahraini lawyer.
Several general provisions of the code are relevant to gambling cases. Article 5 provides that the code applies to all crimes committed in Bahrain, and Article 64 allows a judge who imposes a penalty to order the confiscation of seized items obtained from or used in the offence (Penal Code, Articles 5 and 64). Confiscation is consistent with reported police practice: in a 2018 case cash and other items were seized when 32 people were arrested for gambling (Gulf News, 5 November 2018). Courts may also order foreign nationals to be deported after serving a sentence, as happened in a 2021 gambling case described below.
Import ban on gambling equipment
Bahrain prohibits the import of gambling equipment. In a notification to the WTO (document G/MA/QR/N/BHR/1/Rev.1, dated 24 September 2019), it reported two prohibitions in force since 30 September 2018: a “Ban on the import of Gambling slot machines” and a “Ban on the import of tools, machines and devices dedicated to gambling of all kinds”. Both are administered by the Ministry of Interior and justified under Article XX(a) of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994, which permits measures “necessary to protect public morals”, with religious reasons cited (WTO measure 6210; WTO measure 6214).
Horse racing and prize competitions
Horse racing is lawful and is administered by the Bahrain Turf Club on behalf of the REHC. The club registers horses, licenses jockeys, trainers and owners, enforces the rules of racing and stages events including the Bahrain International Trophy, which it describes as a Group 1 race worth US$1.5 million (Bahrain Turf Club). The club’s website does not describe any betting service. It does promote a competition called “Bahrain Select 6” with the invitation to “sign up and play to win cash prizes”, and a fantasy horse racing app. The terms of these products, including whether entry is free, could not be verified for this review, so no view is expressed on how they relate to the Penal Code.
No specific legal framework for commercial prize draws or promotional competitions was located. The Consumer Protection Law (Law No. 35 of 2012) regulates price reductions (Article 5(b) requires prices before and during a discount to be displayed) but contains no provisions on prize draws or lotteries. Organisers of any competition with a chance element should take Bahraini legal advice.
Regulator and licensing model
Bahrain has no gambling regulator and no licensing model. In a monopoly system the state reserves gambling to one operator, and in a licensing system private operators can obtain permits from a regulator; Bahrain has neither. No state lottery, casino or tote operator was identified in the sources reviewed, and no statute creating a licence for any form of gambling was found.
Responsibility for enforcement is divided among general state bodies rather than a specialist authority:
- Ministry of Interior and police: investigate gambling offences and administer the import ban on gambling equipment (WTO measure 6214).
- Public Prosecution and the criminal courts: bring and decide charges under the Penal Code, as in the cases described under the position of players.
- Telecommunications Regulatory Authority: manages the centralised system through which websites are blocked (Freedom House, Freedom on the Net 2024).
Because there is no licensing system, there is no official register of licensed operators against which players can check a website.
Online gambling: status and enforcement
No form of online gambling is licensed in Bahrain. Online casino games, online sports betting, online poker and online lotteries are covered by the general prohibition in the Penal Code; there is no separate remote gambling statute and no online licence. The sources reviewed contain no court decision that addresses directly whether a foreign operator offering games to people in Bahrain commits an offence “in Bahrain” under Article 5 of the Penal Code. That question appears untested, but it does not create any lawful channel for online gambling.
Website blocking
Blocking means instructing internet service providers (ISPs) to prevent access to listed websites. According to Freedom House, “In August 2016, the TRA ordered all telecommunications companies to employ a centralized, TRA-managed system for blocking websites”, under Resolution No. (12) of 2016 promulgating the Internet Safety Regulation. Authorities send lists of blocked websites to ISPs, which are instructed to “prohibit any means that allow access to sites blocked”, and ISPs that fail to cooperate risk revocation of their licences (Freedom House, Freedom on the Net 2024). Freedom House’s reporting concentrates on political and news websites; it does not discuss gambling sites.
The TRA does not publish the list of blocked websites or the categories it covers. Its website reports a figure of 99% for “Blocking Harmful websites”, citing its 2025 annual report, without explaining how the figure is measured (TRA, home page). It is therefore not possible to say, from official sources, how many gambling websites are blocked or how quickly. Freedom House’s 2025 edition, covering June 2024 to May 2025, states that authorities “often blocked websites” (Freedom House, Freedom on the Net 2025).
Payments and advertising
No Central Bank of Bahrain rule specifically directed at payments to gambling operators was located, and no gambling-specific advertising code was found. No reported case concerning the promotion of online gambling in Bahrain was identified.
Enforcement record
Reported enforcement has concerned gambling in physical premises. In August 2018 five men faced trial for converting a house in Muharraq into a gambling venue, after police deployed an undercover agent (Daily Tribune, 13 August 2018). In November 2018, 32 people were arrested in Manama after a video of them gambling circulated on social media; the case was referred to the Public Prosecution (Gulf News, 5 November 2018). No prosecution of an online gambling operator, agent or player in Bahrain was found in the sources reviewed.
Position of players
The available evidence indicates that taking part in gambling, not only organising it, is treated as an offence. In October 2021 the Lower Criminal Court convicted six men of gambling and sentenced them to six months’ imprisonment, followed by deportation. The court acquitted them of the more serious charge of operating a gambling establishment, reasoning that “welcoming many people doesn’t mean they were operating a gambling den” (Daily Tribune, 6 October 2021). The case shows a distinction in practice between gambling and running a gambling venue, with the latter treated as the graver offence.
For online gambling, the position is less clearly documented:
- Playing on an offshore website is not made lawful by the fact that the operator holds a licence elsewhere; Bahrain recognises no foreign gambling licence.
- No reported prosecution of a person in Bahrain for gambling online was found, so the practical risk cannot be quantified from public sources.
- Using technical means to reach blocked sites does not change the legal status of the gambling itself.
- Foreign residents should note that, as the 2021 case shows, a conviction can be followed by deportation.
Players also have no legal protection when dealing with unlicensed operators: there is no Bahraini body to which a complaint about withheld winnings or unfair games could be made.
Taxation
Bahrain has no gambling tax because no gambling activity is licensed. It also has no general personal income tax: PwC’s tax summary states that “There is no personal income tax (PIT) regime in Bahrain” (PwC, Bahrain individual taxes). Any winnings would therefore not be subject to income tax, but that does not affect their status as the proceeds of an unlawful activity, which a court may confiscate under Article 64 of the Penal Code.
At corporate level, Bahrain levies no general corporate income tax except a 46% tax on oil and gas profits, and from 2025 a Domestic Minimum Top-up Tax applies a 15% minimum effective rate to large multinational groups (PwC, Bahrain corporate taxes). These rules have no specific gambling provisions.
Consumer protection and responsible gambling
Because gambling is prohibited, Bahrain has none of the harm-minimisation tools found in licensing jurisdictions. No national self-exclusion register, deposit limits regime or gambling-specific helpline was found in the sources reviewed. Self-exclusion means a person asks to be barred from gambling services for a set period; in regulated markets it is usually enforced across all licensed operators, but no equivalent exists in Bahrain.
People in Bahrain who are concerned about their own or a relative’s gambling can seek help through general medical and mental health services. General guidance on recognising gambling harm and on blocking tools is available in our responsible gambling guide.
Players using offshore websites should be aware that they have no local consumer protection, no access to a Bahraini dispute resolution body and, as explained above, possible criminal exposure.
Recent and upcoming developments
- Penal Code amendments, 2025–2026. The four most recent amendments listed by the LLOC do not touch the gambling provisions: Law No. 3 of 2025 (19 January 2025) amended Articles 380 and 396 on theft of electronic devices and data (text); Law No. 25 of 2025 (28 May 2025) amended Articles 354, 370 and 372 on public indecency and privacy (text); Decree-Law No. 31 of 2025 (19 August 2025) replaced Articles 342 and 343 on negligent death and injury (text); and Law No. 16 of 2026 (May 2026) concerns rehabilitation programmes and renames prisons as rehabilitation and reform centres (text).
- No reform proposals found. No bill or government proposal to license any form of gambling in Bahrain was identified as of October 2026.
- Regional context: the UAE. The UAE took a different course. Its General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) was announced as a federal regulator on 3 September 2023 (GCGRA, September 2023); it awarded a licence for a national lottery in July 2024 (GCGRA, July 2024) and warned residents against unlicensed lottery and gaming operators in December 2024 (GCGRA, December 2024). Its published list of licensees includes lottery, land-based gaming, internet gaming and sports wagering licences (GCGRA, licensees). Those licences apply only in the UAE and have no effect on Bahraini law.
- Blocking. Freedom House’s 2025 report describes continued website blocking, without reference to gambling (Freedom House 2025).
Casino listings for players in Bahrain
The listings below are generated automatically from our casino database. They do not show that an operator is licensed in Bahrain: Bahrain has no gambling regulator, no register of licensed operators and no licence for online casino games. Offering online casino games to people in Bahrain is not permitted, and gambling is a criminal offence under the Penal Code. The listings must not be read as an indication that playing with any listed operator is lawful in Bahrain.
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Sources and further reading
- Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission (Bahrain), Decree-Law No. (15) of 1976 Promulgating the Penal Code (accessed 7 October 2026).
- Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission (Bahrain), Penal Code, Decree-Law No. (15) of 1976 (HTML text) (accessed 7 October 2026).
- Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission (Bahrain), Amendments to Decree-Law No. (15) of 1976 (accessed 7 October 2026).
- Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission (Bahrain), Law No. (3) of 2025 amending the Penal Code (2025).
- Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission (Bahrain), Law No. (25) of 2025 amending the Penal Code (2025).
- Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission (Bahrain), Decree-Law No. (31) of 2025 amending the Penal Code (2025).
- Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission (Bahrain), Law No. (16) of 2026 amending the Penal Code (2026).
- Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission (Bahrain), Law No. (35) of 2012 concerning Consumer Protection (accessed 7 October 2026).
- UN ESCWA Arab Legislation Portal, Law 15 of 1976 Penal Code (accessed 7 October 2026).
- Constitute Project, Bahrain’s Constitution of 2002 with Amendments through 2017 (accessed 7 October 2026).
- World Trade Organization, Quantitative Restrictions Database, Bahrain, Kingdom of #6210: Ban on the import of gambling slot machines (2019, accessed 7 October 2026).
- World Trade Organization, Quantitative Restrictions Database, Bahrain, Kingdom of #6214: Ban on the import of tools, machines and devices dedicated to gambling (2019, accessed 7 October 2026).
- Freedom House, Freedom on the Net 2024: Bahrain (2024).
- Freedom House, Freedom on the Net 2025: Bahrain (2025).
- Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (Bahrain), Official website (accessed 7 October 2026).
- Daily Tribune (News of Bahrain), Six Asian men jailed for gambling in Bahrain (2021).
- Daily Tribune (News of Bahrain), Bangladeshi men nabbed running gambling joint (2018).
- Gulf News, 32 expatriates arrested in Bahrain for gambling (2018).
- Bahrain Turf Club, Official website (accessed 7 October 2026).
- Bahrain Turf Club, The Bahrain Turf Club (accessed 7 October 2026).
- PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, Bahrain: Individual – Taxes on personal income (reviewed 26 July 2026).
- PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, Bahrain: Corporate – Taxes on corporate income (reviewed 26 July 2026).
- General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (UAE), Commercial Gaming Regulator Established in UAE (2023).
- General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (UAE), The GCGRA awards License for UAE Lottery (2024).
- General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (UAE), GCGRA Issues Warning Against Unlicensed Lottery and Gaming Operators (2024).
- General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (UAE), Our Licensees (accessed 7 October 2026).
