Arab Sports Betting

Is betting legal in Saudi Arabia? If so, is public gambling different from betting online?

If you choose to start betting on sports from Saudi Arabia, you should know that gambling in all forms is banned by the government as gambling is not allowed by Islamic law. This means a few things for you:

One, Saudi Arabia filters some forms of website content so that it may not reach their citizens. The Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission is the governmental organization in charge of this task. The government is likely blocking at least some of these sports betting sites, if not all of them. As such, you may need access to a virtual private network (VPN) in order to access these websites, though these may have issues in working completely from Saudi Arabia. If you are concerned about which sites might be blocked, each of the buttons and links above will open new tabs. Simply click them all then look at the tabs to see which ones are available to you. If they loaded, you can get started. In the end, while sports betting is not legal, it is far less objectionable than many other kinds of content.

Second, punishment for gambling online is essentially just as severe as if you were caught in an illegal gambling den in a public place. Thus if you decide to start betting online from Saudi Arabia, do so with a high level of discretion. Do not talk about your betting activities with anyone as they could report your activities to the religious police. In the end, if you operate with discretion and use the above methods to access and transact with betting sites from Saudi Arabia, the risks will be minimized. We explore how to make and receive sports betting payments below.

Can you play in Arabic at any of these bookmakers from Saudi Arabia?

Indeed you may. BetVictor offers one of the world’s only Arabic betting sites. If playing in your native language is a strong preference, BetVictor is the best option for you, but we are working on our review of them right now. If you can operate comfortably in English, your choices for Saudi Arabia betting sites will be much wider with all of the providers above.

Will the legality of sports betting change in Saudi Arabia?

This is an interesting question. There is no doubt that on the spectrum of conservative to progressive Islam, Saudi Arabia tends to be on the conservative side of things. Though, things have progressed in some areas in recent years, allowing for new activities and allowances to occur within Saudi society. As things progress in Saudi Arabia, there may be some leniency for sports betting in the coming years and decades. Saudis love their sports, especially football, with an excellent local league and millions of supporters for the top clubs in Europe. With this, The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) has investigated making investments in English Premier League clubs including both Manchester United and Newcastle United.

Although nothing has yet come to fruition, such an investment will increase pressure to allow sports betting within the Kingdom. Why? Each and every Premier League club has an official sports betting partner. At the time of writing, NUFC, which was under offer from the PIF, had three official betting partners. This includes an international sportsbook brand which is included in our list above, one brand focused only on Asia, and another brand focused only on the UK. Should the PIF succeed in investing in a Premier League club, the PIF will be profiting directly from corporate partnerships with gambling companies. This will create uncomfortable questions at home in the Kingdom. How on one hand can Saudi profit from gambling sponsors, but prevent their own citizens from partaking in the very same activity from which they profit? In time, like other neighbouring GCC nations, one can expect a loosening of restrictions with regard to online and mobile betting in the Kingdom. Although gambling in public will likely remain a banned activity.

Saudi Arabia banking methods for online sports betting sites

Third, you should use sports betting banking methods that provide you with an additional level of anonymity. Unless you hold a position that you feel provides you with a position of safety, it is best not to transact directly with these bookmaker companies from your bank account or credit card that is based in Saudi Arabia, though they are available for use. You can use an e-wallet like EcoPayz, Skrill, Neteller or Much Better which is an app that you may download from the app store. These companies are located outside of Saudi Arabia and are used for all manner of online transactions, so transacting with them is less of a risk. You’ll be able to link a bank account or credit card to these e-wallets so that your Saudi-based transactions are not directly linked to betting or gambling.

You can also use a prepaid solution like paysafecard. These are cards that that can be purchased at retail locations across Saudi Arabia and can thus be used anonymously as online cash. To find local retail establishments near you that sell paysafecard, visit paysafecard Saudi Arabia. Once at the betting site, you simply enter the code and your money is granted.

Saudi Arabia Riyal (SAR) sports betting site accounts

For your purposes in banking and betting from Saudi Arabia, most bookmakers do not offer SAR accounts. As such, you should select an account in US Dollars, Euros or British Pounds upon registration, as banking methods will work more seamlessly for you. In fact, you will have more banking options when your betting account is in another currency.

When it comes to a much wider range of available currencies, disreputable betting sites like 1XBET try to offer more than any other major bookie in order to attract your play. But they are not an honest provider.

Thus, it is best of you play in another major international currency. If interested, you may see the current exchange rates for the Saudi Arabia Riyal versus the top sports betting currencies here: SAR to USD and SAR to EUR.

Rank

Saudi Bookies

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Find the best Saudi Arabia betting sites - Online bookmakers that serve Saudi Arabia in 2023.

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What sports are available to bet on at these sites from Saudi Arabia?

Just about anything you like, really. If you wish to bet on the football matches of the Saudi Professional League, you will be able to do so at all of the above betting sites. This is also the case for just about any top football league across the GCC region. International events that are held locally like UFC events, or top-flight boxing events, or the Saudi F1 GP will also of course be available for your wager. Beyond these events you will find the highest level of coverage for the most popular European football leagues, as well as American sports (NFL, NBA), tennis, golf and so on. The number of betting markets, or ways you may bet on these events is are more varied than ever before - and of course, live, in-play betting is always available.

Do these Saudi sports betting sites offer other types of online gambling ?

For the most part, yes they do, but they differ quite a bit in terms of what gaming verticals might be available. Online and live casino games like blackjack, baccarat, roulette and slots with many variations are available at providers listed above. If you are also interested in having access to an online poker room to play against other players, or access to online bingo in the same way, from the same sportsbook account, these types of offerings require a lot of customer scale. For poker and bingo in addition to casino and sport betting, your best option is bet365. If you are interested in learning more, you can read about Saudi Arabia casino sites for far more detail on the subject.

Do any of these Saudi Arabia betting sites offer a website in Arabic?

No. No sites offer an Arabic language option any longer. While 1XBET offers a site version in Arabic, they are totally disreputable. Steer clear of 1XBET to be sure.

Unfortunately, most betting sites do not make their new customer bonus offers available to Saudi players. This is unfair on you. We have listed several offers below that are available to new bettors in Saudi Arabia.