Online Casinos in the United Arab Emirates Offering Bitcoin
There are only a few countries in the world that have embraced both crypto and gambling, but the United Arab Emirates emerged as one; Bitcoin is one of the top preferred payment solutions across online casinos that accept players from the country. With the changing and improving gambling landscape in the UAE, cryptocurrencies are getting more and more popular among online casino players, with Bitcoin at the forefront. With it, you can make effortless deposits and withdrawals without involving your bank account or other bank-related methods, therefore, if you’re interested in knowing more about it, make sure you stay with us. Why choose to use Bitcoin for your deposits and withdrawals across online casinos in the United Arab Emirates?
The Legality of Cryptocurrency in the United Arab Emirates
Considering it is today one of the most sophisticated countries in the world, the United Arab Emirates embraced the tech developments and regulated crypto assets. In mainland UAE, businesses need to obtain a license from the SCA for conducting financial activities involving crypto. In Dubai, all crypto activities are regulated by the VARA (Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority). UAE residents, can, therefore, invest in, sell and buy cryptocurrencies with no restrictions whatsoever.
The United Arab Emirates, although known as currently one of the most modern and futuristic Middle Eastern countries, is also an Islamic country, where most laws are based on the Quran. And as you know, the Quran bans “halal” things like taking interest, stealing, abusing others, cheating, and among other things, gambling. Ever since the country was formed, therefore, gambling has been off-limits for its residents. That is, until 2023 when things started changing.
Since there has been a noticeable increase in the gambling population in the country in recent years, the UAE government lowered its guard and started promoting eSports first. But the country's appeal as a gaming hub is closely linked to the fact that the UAE is a leader in emerging tech like AI, AR and, of course, blockchain. This tech foundation could easily support the growth of the digital gambling ecosystem, and that’s why the authorities started thinking about proper regulations.
And while there are many land-based gambling establishments across the country, until now, they were designed for and could be frequented exclusively by tourists. But when the GCGRA (General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority) was established in 2023, UAE residents saw a light of hope. The country announced the new regulatory body in September 2023 and took a year before it established its regulatory framework to allow gambling for the first time in history.
The first national lottery was greenlighted, and the GCGRA appointed Game LLC to run it. Soon after, MGM Resorts led the charge for licensing, as soon as the regulator started accepting applications for licenses in July 2024, and many other casino resorts followed.
However, online gambling still remains illegal due to religious and cultural norms. Neither visitors nor residents should engage in online gambling and are advised against using illegal VPNs to access foreign gambling sites so as not to breach vice and cybercrime laws. Severe fines and even jail time are guaranteed for those who choose to do otherwise. Nevertheless, UAE residents are still finding ways to gamble online, despite all the warnings. And they are using the legality of cryptocurrencies to their advantage, and using Bitcoin for deposits and withdrawals. If that’s something you’re interested in trying, make sure you stay with us, as in the following section we’ll tell you all you need to know about it.
How to Use Bitcoin at an Online Casino?
Your first task at hand, before you learn how to get started with Bitcoin, is to find an online casino that you can join. Now, this won’t be an easy task, not at least at the moment, considering the online gambling ban in the UAE, but if you dig deep, you’ll certainly find some. After you do, you need to check whether the sites support crypto, hence Bitcoin. If yes, choose the casino that suits you most and join it.
From here, you need to find a popular crypto exchange platform. There are several crypto exchanges that accept your local currency, the UAE dirham, including Binance, Rain, and BitOasis, so you might want to consider them, to avoid additional conversion fees. Decide on the one to join and create an account with it. Next, you need to link a payment method you’ll use for the purchase. All of these exchanges that we mentioned offer popular methods, like credit/debit cards, eWallets, and other standard and alternative solutions, so choose the one that suits you best. Set the amount of BTC you wish to purchase, and complete the payment. With that, you'll have BTCs in your possession, which should be transferred to some type of a crypto wallet.
This means that you need to find a nice crypto wallet next. Binance offers its own crypto wallet product, but you can go with Trust Wallet, ByBit, and Kraken, for instance, too. Again, create an account with the crypto wallet of your preference, copy your address, and paste it to the appointed field on the crypto exchange to transfer your coins. Once your coins land safely in your wallet, you can start using Bitcoin at your chosen online casino. To make a deposit with Bitcoin at the casino you joined, go through these steps:
- Enter your registered casino account and head over to the Cashier/Banking page.
- Find Bitcoin in the section Deposits and press its logo.
- In the pop-up, you’ll find the casino’s crypto wallet address.
- Copy it, enter your crypto wallet, paste it, and then specify how much you want to transfer.
- Confirm and authenticate the transfer, and in real-time, the coins will arrive on your balance.
Withdrawals are requested in pretty much the same way. You will need to select the crypto in the section Withdrawals, from the Cashier/Banking page.
Then, you will need to access your crypto wallet and copy your address, to paste it on the appointed field on the Cashier/Banking page. After you set the amount you want to withdraw and confirm your request, the casino will review it and hopefully approve it soon, or in up to 48 hours. The minute you get the casino’s approval, the coins will reach your crypto wallet.
The Best 3 Payment Methods that Offer Bitcoin Across UAE Online Casinos
You may have not known this, but Bitcoin can be obtained and used in a different way, too. See, with the tech developments and the power of the blockchain, many alternative payment solutions have managed to create safe pathways to allow users to purchase and use Bitcoin via one single account. This way, you will go around the steps we just went through, and purchase your BTCs on the spot, via the account you created with a particular alternative solution. Offering a shortcut, the following are the 3 top solutions you can get started with to transact in both fiat and digital currencies, so make sure you read about them in the following section:
- Google Pay – Google, the world’s most popular search engine platform, allows users to purchase crypto via its own eWallet, Google Pay. The eWallet was designed to facilitate online transactions for Google/Android users, and that's why in 2021, Google made sure to integrate Coinbase, one of the most popular crypto exchanges, into it and allow an instant conversion of fiat to crypto, via the eWallet account. With it, you can turn your AED to BTC in the blink of an eye, and use your coins for the most effortless deposits and withdrawals across a great number of online casino sites.
- MoneyGram – MoneyGram, one of the most well-known money transfer services in the world, and the UAE, has made sure to stay on track with the developments in the world and embraced the use of crypto as soon as it could. The money transfer service made sure to launch the in-app functionality and allow users to send and receive cryptocurrencies a few years ago. As long as you have its app installed on your device, you can use it to make seamless deposits and withdrawals in BTC across many online casino sites.
- Skrill - Skrill is one of many eWallets allowed for UAE residents to use, but also one of a few eWallets that allows these users to use cryptocurrencies in the same way they would use the AED. This alternative solution launched two decades ago, has made sure to allow users to convert numerous fiat currencies into digital currencies and just as easily sell or buy crypto via its eWallet.
Further Reading
Casinos: 908
220% up to €500 + 100 Spins
Sign up Bonus - Exclusive
220% up to €500 + 100 Spins
Sign up Bonus - Exclusive
100% up to €1000 + 300 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to €300 + 100 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to $4000 + 150 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to $1000 + 100 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to $1000 + 300 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
75% up to $300 + 50 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to $1000 + 150 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to €500 + 100 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to $2000 + 200 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to $750 + 100 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
150% up to €200 + 100 Spins
Sign Up Bonus - Exclusive
100% + 200 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
256% up to $3000 + 100 Spins
Sign Up Bonus - EXCLUSIVE
100% up to $1000 + 100 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to $300 + 100 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to $300 + 30 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to €200 + 100 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to $4000
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to €300 + 30 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
75% up to €400 + 75 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to $5000 + 50 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to $500 + 200 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to $250 + 25 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to $200 + 25 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to €500 + 100 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
200% up to $2000 + 100 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
50 Spins
Casino Spins - Exclusive
100% up to €1000 + 100 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to $300
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to €500
Sign Up Bonus
220% up to €2000 + 150 Spins
Sign Up Bonus - Exclusive
200% up to $1000
Sign Up Bonus - Exclusive
100% up to $200
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to $500
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to €200 + 100 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
$5
No Deposit Bonus
$69
No Deposit Bonus - Exclusive
Examples of deposits:
Bitcoin$68
No Deposit Bonus - EXCLUSIVE
222% up to $500 + 50 Spins
Sign Up Bonus - EXCLUSIVE
$45
No Deposit - Exclusive
180% up to €2000 + 125 Spins
Sign up Bonus - Exclusive
Cashable bonus: Yes. Available on mobile: Yes. Is the offer available on download &/or instant play version: Instant play version.
$45
No Deposit - Exclusive
100% up to $200 + 75 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
$30
No Deposit
150% up to $3000 + 60 Spins
Sign Up Bonus - Exclusive
125% up to $3000 + 100 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
100% up to $2000 + 100 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
FAQ's
Are UAE residents allowed to use cryptocurrencies?
Is online gambling legal in the UAE?
Do many Bitcoin online casinos accept UAE players?
What are some of the other alternative solutions to use to be able to make Bitcoin deposits/withdrawals?
Is Bitcoin an option for cashouts by default, if offered for deposits at the online casino I’m thinking of joining?
Join today and start earning rewards
You will immediately get full access to our online casino forum/chat plus receive our newsletter with news & exclusive bonuses every month.