UAE’s GCGRA signs deal with Abu Dhabi financial regulator to strengthen gaming oversight
The agreement with ADGM’s FSRA will strengthen information sharing, supervisory coordination and cooperation as the UAE’s commercial gaming sector develops.
Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) to strengthen cooperation and information sharing between the two regulators.
In an official ADGM press release dated August 14, the FSRA said the agreement with the GCGRA, the UAE’s federal regulator for commercial gaming, establishes a framework for cooperation in support of their respective supervisory responsibilities while respecting their independent statutory mandates.
Both authorities said the MoU reflects their shared commitment to high regulatory standards, built on collaboration, information sharing and joint engagement on issues of common interest. It also covers supervisory coordination, policy dialogue, investigative assistance and the exchange of regulatory information, subject to applicable laws and confidentiality requirements.
Ciarán Carruthers, CEO of the GCGRA, said: “Commercial gaming is one of the newest regulated sectors in the UAE, and its credibility will be built through exactly this kind of cooperation. This MoU gives GCGRA and the FSRA a clear channel to share information and coordinate supervision where our respective mandates intersect, which matters as the sector grows and the range of participants operating in and around it becomes more complex.”
Carruthers said the UAE’s reputation as a “well-regulated jurisdiction” rests on regulators working in step with one another, and said the agreement gives that relationship a “formal foundation” to build on.
The two authorities said the deal supports “a transparent and internationally aligned regulatory environment that establishes responsible innovation and sustainable market development.”
Emmanuel Givanakis, CEO of ADGM’s FSRA, said: “This MoU between the FSRA and the GCGRA represents an important step in strengthening regulatory cooperation and our shared commitment to regulatory excellence. Effective collaboration between regulators is fundamental to preserving market integrity, addressing emerging risks and ensuring that regulatory frameworks evolve alongside innovation.”
Givanakis added that as financial services and adjacent sectors become increasingly interconnected, close cooperation between competent authorities enhances their collective ability to support responsible growth while maintaining the “highest standards of governance, transparency and consumer protection.”
The agreement is intended to give market participants operating within ADGM and the wider UAE financial ecosystem greater regulatory certainty, as the GCGRA continues to expand oversight of the country’s commercial gaming sector, which includes casinos, online gaming, sports betting and lotteries.
