Football is one of the main drivers of the newly regulated sports betting market in the UAE; a market that has entered a new phase with the establishment of a legal and regulatory framework. Cricket also has many fans among the residents of the UAE.

Philippa Boland, the commercial director of the online gaming section at the platform Play971, told the Gulf Times that major international football tournaments and European club competitions have received the most attention.

In major football tournaments, predicting the winner of the match and the number of goals has been among the popular options, and in important matches, the use of live betting has also increased.

Alongside football and cricket, licensed betting is also offered in sports such as horse racing, tennis, basketball, mixed martial arts, and Formula One.

The legal framework for this market was established with the founding of the UAE Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority in 2023; an authority responsible for issuing licenses and overseeing related activities at the federal level.

Sports betting is legally offered when the operator has the license from this authority and complies with requirements related to identity verification, age, user protection, and responsible gaming. However, having a federal license does not necessarily mean that services can be offered in all emirates.

Users must check the operator's license status in the official list of the regulatory authority before using it.

Play971 is also operated by Coin Technology Projects LLC, which according to Boland, has a license from this authority. This platform allows setting deposit limits and temporarily stopping activities, and conducts age and identity verification to prevent registration of individuals under 21 years old.

Source: Gulf Times