Gambling Industry Overview in Qatar
The following approaches will be presented
- Gambling legislation in Qatar
- Gambling authorities in Qatar
- Online casinos in Qatar
- and more
Just like in most countries where the majority of residents practice Islam, all forms of gambling activities in Qatar are strictly prohibited. However, there are some breaches in the law and Qatar-based players successfully use them in order to place their bets.
History of Gambling Regulation in Qatar
As reported above, neither traditional nor online gambling activities are legally allowed in Qatar but in the past, camel racing was quite a widespread sport. The camel owner was capable of receiving up to six figures.
However, the camel racing practices affected Qatar in a negative manner as they were regarded as too cruel due to the involvement of young children used as jockeys.
Back in 2003, Qatar was threatened to be sanctioned, unless authorities take imminent actions towards stopping the child abuse.
In 2005, a Swiss company manufactured robots that can stand up the tough weather conditions in Qatar and be used as jockeys in camel racing events.
Overview
Gambling activities are in contradiction with the virtues of the Muslim religion and that is the reason why there are not any bingo halls, casinos, poker clubs, etc. on the territory of the country. Nevertheless, Qatar residents are keen on gambling and their interests range from sports betting to camel racing. The inability to take part in legal gambling makes them opt for the unregulated markets.
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Since the penalties for those who violate the laws are really severe, all illegal gambling activities are performed quite subtly. Yet, organizing illegal poker games is a common practice. These are usually performed at private homes, owned by foreigners. Those who want to take part in the game of poker are notified shortly before the start and the organizer withholds 10% of players' winnings.
Relevant Legislation and Legal Framework
Articles 274, 275, 276 and 277 clearly defines what kind of activities can be regarded as gambling: “Gambling is any game in which the probability of gain and loss depends on the luck and not on controlled factors and each party agrees to give the amount of money, in case of loss, to the winning party.”
Although there are disagreements about which games can be considered based on luck and based on skill, Qatar government is reluctant to take these arguments into consideration and prohibits all games that resemble gambling.
As for the penalties imposed on those who violate the law, they reach up to QAR6,000, depending on the seriousness of the criminal offence.
Everyone involved in illegal gambling practices is threatened to spend three months behind the bars and pay a fine of QAR3,000. If the illegal gambling activities are performed in public, the fine is QAR6,000 and six months imprisonment.
As mentioned above, there are particular breaches in the law such as the use of the so-called virtual private networks. They are not considered illegal but strange as it may seem, the usage of VPN for accessing prohibited materials is considered a crime.
The top priority of the Qatar government is to prevent the expansion of the unregulated markets and curb any illegal gambling activity offered by an organization. Those players who place their bets from their home without being involved in any illegal gambling scheme are not that severely prosecuted.
Qatar authorities attempt at preventing the residents from signing up for offshore online bookies and blocks the websites but currently, these actions are not quite successful and the number of Qatar residents, registered at offshore sports betting websites is growing.
Compared to the laws in some other countries where gambling is prohibited, laws in Qatar are not that severe, though. Yet, breaking the law in an Islamic country is an act that never brings positive consequences.
Online Gambling
Online gambling is among the activities considered offensive by the Islam religion. Although all forms of traditional and online gambling activities are prohibited, a wide number of international booking websites accept players based in Qatar. However, there are many websites considered unreliable, so every Qatar-based player should carefully select a safe overseas website. The usage of a e-wallet is also recommended for achieving a higher level of security.
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