The UAE’s first licensed sports wagering and igaming platform has expanded its offering with football betting markets and tournament-focused content ahead of the global tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Play971 has launched football betting<\/strong> in the UAE ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The operator became the UAE’s first licensed sports wagering and igaming platform when it launched in December 2025 following approval from the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority <\/strong>(GCGRA). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Play971 is operated by Coin Technology Projects LLC<\/strong>, part of Abu Dhabi-based Momentum Group, and holds licences for both Internet Gaming and Sports Wagering from the GCGRA. The launch on June 5 marks the latest addition to Play971’s regulated gaming offering in the UAE. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Philippa Bowland<\/strong>, commercial director for igaming at Play971, said the football betting launch was designed to enhance the experience for sports fans in the UAE. “The UAE is home to some of the most passionate and engaged sports fans in the world. For the first time, a locally rooted platform like<\/strong> Play971 adds a new layer to the sports experience \u2013 making it possible for fans to play sustainably, rally behind their teams, and enjoy major football moments together”, said Bowland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The platform was developed with football supporters in mind ahead of the World Cup. The sportsbook includes match and player betting markets, tournament-themed <\/strong>games and a dedicated tournament page created specifically for the competition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Play971 offers wagering on international and regional sporting events, UAE football and horse racing, alongside casino-style and live dealer games. The platform is available only to customers aged 21 and older who are physically located within the UAE, with the operator prohibiting the use of VPNs and other location-masking tools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Player protection<\/strong> measures are also built into the platform. Users can set deposit limits, take temporary time-outs and activate self-exclusion tools, while customer support is available for players seeking guidance or assistance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to begin on June 11 and run until July 19, with 48 teams competing across Canada, Mexico and the United States. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The UAE’s first licensed sports wagering and igaming platform has expanded its offering with football betting markets and tournament-focused content ahead of the global tournament.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2809,"featured_media":880,"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, the UAE's inaugural licensed sports wagering and iGaming platform, has expanded its regulated offering to include football betting markets and tournament-specific content, leveraging its GCGRA licenses. This strategic launch, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, enhances the B2C product portfolio and reinforces responsible gaming frameworks within the newly regulated market.","focusai_entities":"Play971, Coin Technology Projects LLC, Momentum Group, General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, Philippa Bowland, FIFA World Cup","focusai_location":"UAE, Abu Dhabi, Canada, Mexico, United States","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (0.9), compliance_legal (0.9), operator_casino (0.9), product_ux (0.8), tech_data (0.7), marketing_crm (0.8), payments_fraud_aml (0.8), investor_analyst (0.9), supplier_vendor (0.8), journalist_researcher (0.9)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"UAE Market Impact","query":"What are the projected GGR and NGR impacts of Play971's expanded football betting offering on the nascent UAE iGaming market, considering the 2026 FIFA World Cup?"},{"label":"Regulatory Framework Evolution","query":"How does the GCGRA's regulatory framework, as evidenced by Play971's licensing and operational controls, compare to established iGaming jurisdictions regarding B2C compliance and responsible gambling governance?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[148,4],"tags":[167],"class_list":["post-876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abu-dhabi","category-sportsbetting-news","tag-igaming"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2809"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=876"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/876\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":898,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/876\/revisions\/898"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}