Gambling is prohibited in Saudi Arabia, this is all because of a clash between religious customs and gambling norms. The country is more conservative, this has a bitter repercussion for gamblers. Many laws restrict many casino gaming.
Though such has been the case in Saudi Arabia, gamblers often use VPN (Virtual Private Network) and private payment methods. VPN is used on sports betting sites that offer Saudi Cup or the gritty Dakar Rally. Below we look closely at what is really influencing this trend of barring gambling in Saudi Arabia.
Background Check
As we mentioned in the introduction, The Saudi Arabian government is very respectful of the Islamic culture. They follow all the religious statutes correctly. All this absoluteness of laws came about from an Islamic dynasty formed in 1932. During this period, four Islamic states were formed to create one strong monarchy.
Until now, the monarchy exerts a lot of control major sectors. In a country of not more than 33 million people, the Saudi Arabia government still manages to rule and guide its people with the use of the holy Koran. The Koran is absolutely against gambling practices. Its statutes do not link with what is done during gambling practices. Gambling even has an Islam name, it is called “maisir”. Maisir is an abomination word that means the work of a Satanic hand, a clear abhorrence. That’s what they believe in their strict Koran statutes.
Such diminutive religious trends have given to the rise of draconian laws that set aside the progress of gambling in Saudi Arabia. Not even a single Poker casino or even a bookmaker is licensed and authorized in Saudi Arabia. It’s a utilitarian dislodgement of all gambling practices. There is a bit of confusion rely on because, in ancient times, horse racing and camel racing were very popular.
These races attracted many people including the rich and famous and even now King Abdulaziz attends horse races. Horse races are betted on and this is the same prohibited practice. The basic notion is that many people in Saudi Arabia are very dear to their religion, they love and worship their God with so much passion and they jealously follow all their laws. It’s not only gambling that is on the chopping board but drugs and alcohol are also part and parcel of the profaned activities.
What Are the Penalties for Violating Gambling Laws?
Penalties are not really a laughing stoke, they are scary and very punitive. In as much as there are penalties, in our research, we failed to even root out any reported conviction of a gambler. All we know is that subjection to gambling is very harsh.
How to Safely Bet on Sports in Saudi Arabia
The possibility that someone can report to the police that you are gambling is high so this means that gambling has to be a secret that you keep between you and your shadow. Make sure that all your windows are fastened, sounds are on a low and your computer should not face against the window, keep it as far away from the window as possible.
Public viewing is the last thing you should expect. Betting online is good behind closed quarters but not in a public vicinity like a restaurant. All those sounds and attention are not good for you. Discretion is very important, try to be very secretive.
Choose Anonymous Payment Methods
It’s not recommend using debit and credit cards ascribed to locally based banks. If you select locally ascribed banking options, this jeopardizes your gambling. If you try to deposit using locally based banking moments, your attempt will be prohibited.
There are many anonymous payment methods that one can use which include Visa Cards, Mastercard payment, and PayPal. NETELLER and Skrill are some of the available payment methods that one can use if gambling secretively in Saudi Arabia.
The Future of Gambling in Saudi Arabia
Chances that gambling laws will change are very slim looking at the fact that many people are against gambling and are also strict followers of the holy Koran. Looking at the punitive laws, it is very hard for people to try and gamble around freely. But looking at the current driving ban for women and attendance on sporting activities for women, we might see a turnaround.
These are some of the examples that actually keep the hopes of many gambling fanatics from Saudi Arabia high. Such developments are very good for the gambling community. You look at events like the 2019 bout match between Antony Joshua and Andy Ruiz. The government defended themselves saying that it was a societal reforming match, one which had no inclusions of gambling or commemorating fighting. But we hope and pray that gambling will be allowed at some point.