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Parliament Moves to Close a Long-Standing Loophole
Egypt is preparing what could become one of the harshest legal crackdowns on online betting anywhere in the Middle East.
Lawmakers are working on amendments to the country’s Cybercrime Law that would, for the first time, explicitly criminalise online betting applications. Senior members of parliament have indicated that the toughest cases could carry penalties as severe as life imprisonment, particularly when authorities believe organised criminal networks or large-scale fraud are involved.
The move marks a significant escalation. Gambling has long been prohibited for Egyptian citizens, but the legal framework was built around traditional gambling venues. The law has remained far less clear when it comes to websites, mobile apps, and offshore betting operators serving Egyptian users from abroad.
That ambiguity has created a reality familiar to many regulators around the world: gambling is officially banned, yet still widely accessible.
For years, Egyptians seeking to place bets have been able to reach foreign sportsbooks through VPN services, overseas payment channels, and websites operating under licences issued outside the country. While authorities have periodically taken action against operators, lawmakers have increasingly argued that existing legislation lacks the tools needed to deal with digital gambling directly.
From Blocking Apps to Criminal Penalties
The push for tougher laws follows months of efforts to remove betting platforms from public view.
Earlier this year, parliamentary officials revealed that regulators were attempting to block roughly 80% of online betting applications available to Egyptian users. The campaign involved cooperation between telecommunications regulators and media authorities following technical reviews conducted alongside parliament’s communications committee.
Some of the highest-profile targets have already been hit. Russian-licensed bookmaker 1xBet, which had built a visible presence through influencer marketing and social media promotion, disappeared from both Google Play and Apple’s App Store in Egypt in 2024 after mounting complaints and parliamentary pressure.
Attention later shifted to MelBet, which lawmakers identified as another focus of the broader enforcement campaign.
The message coming from parliament has been consistent: blocking apps alone is no longer viewed as enough. Officials believe new legislation is needed to prevent operators from simply returning through new domains, platforms, or distribution channels.
A Blueprint for Tougher Enforcement
Although the government’s final proposal has not yet been published, clues about its direction have emerged from a separate legislative effort.
In early 2025, parliamentarian Martha Mahrous introduced her own bill targeting electronic betting. Her proposal reflected growing concern within the communications committee that existing gambling provisions fail to address the realities of online betting.
The draft outlined penalties across several layers of the industry rather than focusing solely on operators. Individuals acting as agents for bettors could face prison terms measured in years alongside substantial fines. Payment facilitators would also face criminal liability, while those running or promoting betting platforms would be exposed to the largest financial penalties.
The government is now preparing its own version of the legislation rather than adopting Mahrous’ text outright. Even so, both initiatives point in the same direction: a system that targets not only betting operators but also the financial infrastructure and intermediaries that help them reach Egyptian users.
Questions Still Unanswered
Key details remain unresolved.
Lawmakers have yet to explain how authorities plan to deal with VPN usage, which remains one of the easiest ways for users to bypass website blocks. The role of banks and payment processors is also unclear, particularly when determining whether a transaction is knowingly connected to online betting activity.
There are indications that users themselves could eventually face financial penalties for accessing banned platforms, though no official draft spelling out those provisions has been released.
Parliament has not yet scheduled debate or voting on the government’s amendments. Officials previously suggested the proposal would arrive shortly after Eid al-Adha, which took place in June, but no text had appeared on the parliamentary agenda by late June.
What is already clear is that Egypt’s approach is shifting. For years, online betting existed in a grey area where prohibition and enforcement did not always align. The proposed cybercrime amendments suggest authorities are now attempting to build a dedicated legal framework for digital gambling, one designed to reach operators, local partners, payment channels, and potentially even users themselves. If adopted in their current form, the country would move far beyond website blocking and into a far more punitive phase of enforcement.
Source: igamingbusiness.com
