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For decades, legal sports wagering was absent from the United Arab Emirates. That changed this week when Play971 opened football betting to eligible residents, giving the country’s newly regulated gambling sector its first sportsbook offering.
The launch may appear modest on the surface — a football betting product added to an existing gaming website — but it represents another milestone in a market that barely existed a few years ago. Federal regulators have spent the past year issuing licences, approving operators and laying the foundations for an industry that now stretches from online gaming to multibillion-dollar resort developments.
From Lottery to Sportsbook
Play971 is operated by Coin Technology Projects LLC, part of Abu Dhabi’s Momentum Group, the business behind The UAE Lottery.
Customers aged 21 and older can now place wagers on international football fixtures through the platform, with additional markets covering regional sports such as horse racing and local football competitions. The sportsbook joins an existing catalogue of online gaming products and live-dealer tables broadcast from an Abu Dhabi studio operating under regulatory approval.
While access is currently available across the Emirates, the operator has left open the possibility that regional restrictions could be introduced if required by local authorities.
Regulators Continue to Open the Market
The rollout comes as the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority continues to shape what was once an entirely prohibited sector.
The regulator has spent the past year building a licensing framework for both operators and suppliers. Among the companies securing approval was Yolo Group, which obtained vendor licences allowing it to provide gaming content to UAE-licensed businesses.
The pace of activity has drawn attention across the global gambling industry, with operators, suppliers and investors watching closely to see how far the market ultimately develops.
Online and Land-Based Ambitions
The transformation is not confined to online gambling.
In Ras Al Khaimah, construction continues on the integrated resort being developed by Wynn Resorts at Al Marjan Island. The project, carrying a price tag of more than $5 billion, is expected to become the most prominent physical gaming venue in the Gulf region when it opens.
Work on the site faced disruption earlier this year during a period of heightened regional tensions, but the target remains a 2027 launch.
With a national lottery already operating, licensed online gaming platforms now active and legal sports betting entering the market, the UAE’s gambling sector is evolving from a regulatory experiment into a functioning commercial industry.
