Online gambling in Pakistan: regulation, licence and market guide

Is online gambling legal in Pakistan?

Gambling is contrary to the Islamic character of the state set out in the Constitution and is a criminal offense under the Prevention of Gambling Act 1977, which the provinces apply through their own versions after devolution. The 1977 Act predates the internet, so authorities enforce against online betting through the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (PECA): Section 37 lets the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority block unlawful content, and the PECA (Amendment) Act 2025, assented on 29 January 2025, created the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which replaced the FIA's cyber wing and in August 2025 arrested or summoned prominent social-media influencers for promoting betting and trading apps. The PTA told the National Assembly it had blocked 184 betting and gambling websites and apps on complaints from the FIA and ministries. Government prize bonds are the only lawful chance-based product, and no gambling licence exists.

Prohibited: Online gambling is illegal for operators and players and is enforced.

Who regulates gambling in Pakistan?

• National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) — Investigates and prosecutes online offenses under PECA, including betting apps, their agents and promoters, since the 2025 amendment replaced the FIA cyber wing
• Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) — Blocks gambling and betting websites and apps under Section 37 of PECA and the 2021 Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content Rules, on complaint
• Provincial home departments and police — Enforce the Prevention of Gambling Act 1977 and provincial gambling laws against gaming houses, bookmakers and agents

Pakistan gambling licence: how it works

No authority in Pakistan licenses casinos, betting shops, online gambling or private lotteries; the 1977 Act criminalizes keeping or visiting a common gaming house and the wagering that goes with it, and no exemption regime exists. Horse racing is run by racing clubs under old provincial rules with on-course totalisators as the only tolerated wagering, and the federal government issues prize bonds through National Savings, which are a savings instrument with periodic draws rather than a lottery. Because no licence exists, any website claiming a Pakistani gambling licence is making a false claim, and the federal government has advised PEMRA, the PTA and the Pakistan Cricket Board not to contract with surrogate brands of betting companies.

What an applicant needs

• No application route exists for any gambling product
• Operating or promoting a betting service is prosecuted under the 1977 Act, provincial laws and PECA
• Broadcasters and sports bodies are advised not to accept surrogate advertising from betting brands
• Banks and payment providers act on FIA and NCCIA complaints about gambling-linked transactions

Gambling taxes in Pakistan

• Operators: None; no lawful gambling activity exists to tax.
• Players: Prize bond winnings are subject to withholding tax under the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 (15% for filers and a higher rate for non-filers as of the 2025 finance measures). Winnings from unlawful gambling are liable to seizure.

Advertising, player protection, KYC and payments

Advertising

Promoting gambling is treated as abetting an offense, and PECA gives the PTA and the new Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority powers to order removal of unlawful content. Surrogate advertising by betting brands through fantasy, news or merchandise fronts has been the subject of federal advisories to PEMRA, the PTA and the Pakistan Cricket Board, and the 2025 NCCIA cases targeted influencers paid to promote betting and trading apps.

Responsible gaming

Not applicable; the policy is prohibition, with public warnings from the PTA and NCCIA about betting apps aimed at young people.

Identity and age verification

Not applicable to gambling. Banks apply State Bank of Pakistan AML rules and cooperate with FIA and NCCIA inquiries into accounts and wallets used by betting agents.

Payments

There is no lawful payment route for gambling. Everyday digital payments run through Raast instant transfers, bank apps and mobile wallets such as JazzCash and Easypaisa, and enforcement against betting focuses on the agent accounts that collect deposits. Crypto is not legal tender in Pakistan and its regulatory framework was still being built through the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority in 2025–2026.

Notable restrictions

• All gambling, betting and private lotteries are prohibited; no casinos or bookmakers are licensed
• Gambling websites and apps are blocked by the PTA on complaint; 184 had been blocked by the time of the 2025 National Assembly report
• Promoting betting apps, including by influencers, has led to arrests and summonses by the NCCIA since August 2025
• Surrogate betting advertising is barred from broadcast and cricket sponsorship by federal advisory
• Penalties under the 1977 Act are short prison terms and fines, with PECA offenses carrying heavier sentences

Pakistan iGaming market: size, players and payments

No reliable public estimate; all activity is unlawful. Academic and press reporting in 2025 describes large-scale promotion of foreign betting and trading apps to Pakistani users through social media.

Pakistan has one of the world's largest young, mobile-first populations and cricket is the national sport, which is why betting brands target it through influencers and surrogate sponsorship.

Mobile broadband and wallet penetration are high, and enforcement against online betting concentrates on apps and wallet-based agent networks.

No lawful operators. Enforcement targets foreign betting brands' local agents, payment collectors and promoters.

Timeline: how Pakistan got here

1. 1977Prevention of Gambling Act 1977 criminalizes gaming houses and wagering; provinces later adopt their own versions
2. 2016Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 gives the PTA power to block unlawful online content
3. 2021Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content Rules create the complaint portal used for gambling takedowns
4. 2025-01PECA (Amendment) Act 2025 establishes the NCCIA and the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority
5. 2025Cabinet Division tells the National Assembly the PTA has blocked 184 betting and gambling websites and apps
6. 2025-08NCCIA arrests and summons social-media influencers for promoting betting and trading apps

Outlook

No proposal to legalize or license gambling exists; the direction is tighter enforcement through the NCCIA, the PTA's blocking portal and pressure on payment channels, together with petitions asking courts to order broader blocking and State Bank monitoring. Expect continued cases against influencers and agent networks and further federal advisories on surrogate sponsorship around cricket.

GameBridge and Pakistan

Not served by GameBridge. Gambling is prohibited throughout Pakistan and promoting or facilitating it is prosecuted under the 1977 Act and PECA, so GameBridge excludes Pakistan by geo-controls by default; this page exists so compliance teams can verify that status quickly.

Pakistan is on the default country deny list of every real-money brand on GameBridge, enforced by GeoIP with a device GPS re-check and a restricted-region page in English, and the setting is logged for audit. GameBridge does not configure casino, sportsbook, poker or lottery products for Pakistani users under any model and does not integrate Pakistani payment rails for gambling. Whether a free-to-play game with no stakes and no prizes may be offered to Pakistani users is a question for the operator's counsel; any such brand would run with prize redemption disabled.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and review

Reviewed against the sources below on 11 September 2026. Regulation changes; confirm the current position with local counsel before launch.

• Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025 (Act No. II of 2025) — Gazette of Pakistan, 29 January 2025 — Senate Secretariat (via CityLaws), accessed 2026-09-11
• PTA blocked 184 websites/apps, NA told — The News International, accessed 2026-09-11
• PTA takes action against online gambling after government advisory — TechJuice, accessed 2026-09-11
• Evaluating the role of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency in combating influencer-promoted online gambling in Pakistan — Peer-reviewed journal article (2025), accessed 2026-09-11
• Gambling and digital betting in Pakistan: emerging risks of online platforms — Contemporary Journal of Social Science Review (2025), accessed 2026-09-11

Regulatory summaries are provided for orientation only and are not legal advice. Licensing requirements change; we validate them with you during scoping.