Gambling In The Uae What Are The Options
Gambling is Illegal: As a general rule, gambling is illegal in countries like Saudi Arabia and Dubai. Some companies have found workarounds for some of the laws so people visiting the UAE can still enjoy playing in a casino.
All you have to do is go on one of the cruise ships that sail from Dubai. The largest of the ships is Costa Cruises Fortuna, which has 74 gaming machines and 19 gaming tables. Situated at Port Rashid, Dubai, it also has three restaurants serving a very varied cuisine. The casino is not allowed to operate while docked but, once it sets sail and hits international waters, the doors are open.
‘Dubai’ – Steven Straiton via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
The Games You Can Expect in Dubai: Gambling in Dubai is good for the tourist industry, attracting many visitors that might otherwise move on. The sort of games you can expect to gamble on include:
Blackjack and variations
Craps
Slot Machines
American Roulette
Stud Poker
Horseracing
The country does have three racetracks. The Meydan Racecourse and Nad Al Sheba Racecourse are both for horse racing, while the track at the Dubai Camel Racing Club is used for racing horses and camels.
Camel racing is a truly unique experience as you are able to get close to the action and can watch the race from your car. For most people that have watched the racing, it seems the biggest surprise is how fast camels can run. The one thing everyone agreed on was that camel racing is not to be missed if you visit Dubai.
‘Walking to The Start Line 3’ – Corrie Barklimore via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
Betting is allowed on horse racing and camel racing but it has to be with offshore bookmakers. The same situation applies when betting on all types of sports including football, tennis, and cricket.
Gambling in Online Casinos: Gambling in online casinos takes place in most countries of the world. This type of entertainment is so popular because of the huge variety of games and sports to gambling on.
Most casinos even have free games where you can learn the rules and etiquette of the games you want to bet on before actually risking any of your own money. For instance, if you want to try betting in CA on your favorite sport, you can see how well you can do before making a deposit.
Another advantage of gambling online is the bonuses that are given to new members. This can be either a significant amount of cash or free games but, of course, the cash is for you to play with, not to withdraw. They do not forget their existing members either. Often there are generous special offers for them as well.
Slots are one of the most popular online games, as no particular skill is needed. Probably the one that is played most of all is poker. There are world tournaments in poker, with huge prizes for the winners. There are offline and online poker championships held every year and each event continues attracting more players.
In the UAE, accessing the online casinos is not allowed but some people get around this by using Virtual Private Networks and there are casino sites that are written totally in Arabic for these players. Measures have been taken to ensure that no online sites are set up within the UAE but online casinos in other countries will accept new members from these states.