{"id":777036141,"date":"2025-12-16T09:08:57","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T12:08:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/?p=777036141"},"modified":"2026-04-21T15:56:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T18:56:00","slug":"uaes-first-regulated-online-gaming-website-goes-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/uaes-first-regulated-online-gaming-website-goes-live","title":{"rendered":"UAE\u2019s first regulated online gaming website goes live"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The site offers online casino games, such as blackjack and roulette, alongside sports betting markets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

United Arab Emirates.- Play971<\/strong> has gone live as the first website licensed by the United Arab Emirates’ General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA). Licensed under both Internet Gaming and Sports Wagering, the site is operated by Abu Dhabi\u2013based Coin Technology Projects LLC<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The site allows eligible users to place bets on online casino games, such as blackjack and roulette, alongside sports betting markets covering football competitions such as the UEFA Champions League and the English Premier League, as well as horse racing, cricket and other international sporting events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the GCGRA\u2019s regulatory framework, users must be at least 21 years old and physically located within the UAE, excluding designated \u201csensitive geographic areas\u201d. The use of VPNs or other methods to mask location or identity is prohibited, and the platform\u2019s terms specify that breaches may result in forfeited winnings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Play971 has also incorporated responsible gaming measures in line with regulatory expectations. These include player-set deposit limits, time-out options and self-exclusion tools as well as safeguards designed to prevent underage gaming and provide access to external support services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since its establishment in September 2023, the GCGRA has issued 19 licences, mainly for suppliers. In 2024, The Game LLC received approval to operate the UAE Lottery, which awarded more than US$40m in prizes in its first year<\/a>. The GCGRA has also licensed Wynn Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah, which is set to become the UAE\u2019s first integrated gaming resort<\/a> when it opens in 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\t\t\tSee also:<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tSee also:<\/span> UAE lottery operator launches online gambling despite lack of legislation<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The site offers online casino games, such as blackjack and roulette, alongside sports betting markets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":680,"featured_media":777027171,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"Play971, operated by Abu Dhabi-based Coin Technology Projects LLC, has launched as the inaugural online casino and sports wagering platform licensed by the UAE's General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA). This marks a significant step in the formalization of regulated iGaming within the UAE, with the GCGRA having issued 19 licenses since its September 2023 establishment, including for the UAE Lottery and the forthcoming Wynn Al Marjan Island integrated resort. The platform operates under strict regulatory compliance, including age verification, geo-location, and responsible gaming protocols.","focusai_entities":"Play971, General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, GCGRA, Coin Technology Projects LLC, The Game LLC, Wynn Al Marjan Island","focusai_location":"United Arab Emirates, UAE, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (1.0), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (1.0), operator_casino (1.0), affiliate_publisher (0.8), product_ux (0.7), tech_data (0.8), marketing_crm (0.8), payments_fraud_aml (0.9), investor_analyst (1.0), supplier_vendor (1.0), journalist_researcher (1.0)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"GCGRA Licensing Scope","query":"Beyond Play971, what is the GCGRA's strategic roadmap for expanding its B2B and B2C licensing portfolio, particularly concerning the integration of land-based and online gaming verticals?"},{"label":"Regulatory Framework Efficacy","query":"How will the GCGRA's enforcement mechanisms for geo-location, VPN prohibition, and responsible gaming measures be audited and evolved to ensure robust regulatory compliance and player protection in the UAE market?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[157,24628,158,16334],"tags":[20479,24785,24675],"class_list":["post-777036141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-news","category-highlight-of-the-week","category-slider-home","category-south-asia-news","tag-online-gaming","tag-uae","tag-uae-gaming-market"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777036141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/680"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777036141"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777036141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":777036150,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777036141\/revisions\/777036150"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777027171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777036141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777036141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777036141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}