Gambling Law In Pakistan

1. Pakistan Legal System. Pakistan is an Islamic republic. Islam is the state religion, and the Constitution requires that laws be consistent with Islam.
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The gambling laws in Pakistan were established by the Prevention of Gambling Act 1977 long before the Internet was a concept. Remarkably, some parts of Pakistan are still using regulations from The Public Gambling Act of 1867 to deal with gambling issues. Arguments Against Legalizing Online Gambling.

Summary: It is illegal to gamble in Pakistan but are have no law or Acts to address gambling “online”. Thus this has not stopped the near 200 million Pakistanis from taking part in such activities. Recent studies have shown Pakistan to be the in the top 60 countries where betting activities occur even though it is not legal. As with India, the United States, and many other countries where betting on sports or casinos is illegal it continues to happen both underground and on the internet. I will now discuss various Acts and laws in Pakistan related to online gambling.

Pakistani Friendly Betting Sites

Restrictions for all offers may apply, see terms and conditions for details. Must be 18 years or older. Gamble responsibly.

Editor’s Notes

Bet365 is Pakistan friendly and is not blocked in most regions.

The Prevention of Gambling Act, 1977 – Pakistan

This Act was subject to cover the entire country of Pakistan, overiding the Baluchistan, West Pakistan, Punjab and Sindh Prevention of Gambling Ordinances of 1961. In this Act Pakistan made it illegal to own a gaming house, or be inside of gaming house where such person is placing wagers. The maximum penalty we took from the text of this Act was that you could be subject to a 500 – 1000 PKR. fine, and possibly up to one year in jail. There have been no documented cases of small scale gamblers being imprisoned. Also note, this Act seems to only cover “gaming houses” and does not address the activity of betting online. The internet did not exist publicly until 1992 which is why you will find many Laws outdated and not addressing online betting in Pakistan and many other countries. The full law can be read here (.pdf file)

The Baluchistan Prevention of Gambling Ordinance 1978

A year later, this Ordinance of Baluchistan was put in place. All areas within Baluchistan are under both the 1977 and 1978 Act. Within this law, the same principle laws apply but with harsher punishments for gambling or owning a gambling service. Under the Baluchistan Law, the maximum penalty for betting in a public place is up to 5,000 PKR. and up to three years imprisonment. For getting caught placing a bet in a private area, you may be subject to 7,000 PKR. fine or 5 years imprisonment. Prevention of Gambling Act, 1977

Are You at Risk?

Gambling Law In Pakistan Sindh

Because we are not lawyers, we can not give you legal advice but instead our extensive research from the internet and local knowledge of Pakistan. When you bet at a local bookie, you are at a far greater risk than betting online. The involvement of a non-online bookie leaves a paper trail for the authorities to catch you ‘in the act’. But, to our knowledge there have not been any arrests for betting online although we have found several cases of betting rings being shut down within Pakistan.

Pakistan have taken some action against online betting sites by blocking IP addresses located within its territories. They haven’t really gone after gambling sites all that much, and many are not blocked. Most Pakistani gamblers choose to use either Skrill or credit cards to deposit money to bet online. Neteller and Paypal which are most often used in other countries such as India (Neteller) are banned in Pakistan.

Gambling Act Pakistan Pdf

Conclusion: Again, we can only tell you the facts about gambling in Pakistan. While still illegal to make bets on cricket, football, or other sports and casino games the activity continues on as a popular activity in the area. The sites mentioned on this webpage were found from local citizens of Pakistan to have success at betting at with no account closures. These citizens have taken into account their faith in Islam and the laws and decided it was okay to bet.

Translated in Urdu

Gambling Law In Pakistan Saudi Arabia

Gambling is strictly governed in Pakistan and has been illegal for most of the time. This is mostly because the religious laws expressed in the Shariah forbid such behavior, and thus it seeps over to the written law. But in 1979 this all changed when they legalized horse racing betting. This were not something that people liked as they felt it opposed their Muslim faith.

Even though gambling were frowned upon, it continued to spread in the country. More and more ideas were implemented, with bookies present at horse race tracks, lotteries introduced and more. Given crickets popularity in Pakistan it were no wonder that this had to follow suite after all this evolution. Since no cricket betting had been legalized yet, plenty of underground betting circles and illegal bookies were setup to feed this exploding market.

Recommended Cricket Betting Sites for Pakistani Players

Disclaimer

We must warn our readers that whatever you do, you do at your own risk. We will merely provide information as to how you can deposit money and bet on cricket online. I will not guarantee that you are without liability to fines or worse. Please do your own due diligence and make sure you stay on top of the laws in your jurisdiction.

Is it legal to bet online in Pakistan?

No, online betting is not legal in Pakistan. It is explicitly written in law and if you are caught doing so you can risk getting fined up to 1000 PKR and receive a prison sentence. This law seems to be taken very seriously in Pakistan as there are notes of several hundred arrests every year, which is not common in other countries where gambling is illegal.

However, if you are still reading this and interested in betting online in Pakistan then there are options for you. If you are careful in how you act online and aren’t gloating and doing anything illegal in conjunction with the online betting you should be able to keep doing what you are doing in your private time. Authorities aren’t all that concerned with people just minding their own business and using their own money on some harmless entertainment.

Where to bet online in Pakistan?

Gambling Law In Pakistan Newspapers

We have already listed our recommended online betting sites that accept Pakistani customers in our table above. You can take a look for yourself, read our reviews and find out which sportsbook you like the best. There are several criterias you should look for, but we believe that our ranking of them is a fair representation.

As you can see Bet365 is at the top, and for a good reason. This sports betting site is excellent in every way: plenty of sports to bet on, good promotions, live streaming of events, live betting, casino, poker, and best of all – they accept Pakistani players. Definitely our recommended choice if you are looking to get started right away with online betting and would like a safe and reputable place to do so.

Gambling Regulations Pakistan

How to fund your betting account

Since it is illegal to bet, most likely you will find that your local bank or credit card processor will be blocked from transferring funds to (and from) online betting sites. This does not mean that it is impossible to start playing, but rather that you have to take an extra step towards that goal.

As a Pakistani you need to get yourself an ewallet in order to be able to fund your betting account. An ewallet works just like an internet bank account that you can send money to and from. At first it might be seem like a hassle to first deposit funds to Neteller or Skrill, and THEN fund your account. But when you have done it once you can just use your funds and winnings and withdraw and deposit with your ewallet after that.