Egypt is moving to block online betting applications as lawmakers step up efforts to curb unregulated digital gambling and close long-standing legal loopholes that have allowed offshore operators to thrive.
The move was confirmed by Ahmed Badawy, Head of the Communications and Information Technology Committee in the House of Representatives, who said the state is coordinating with relevant authorities to shut down electronic betting platforms operating inside the country.
Gambling in Egypt is tightly restricted under existing law, with land-based casinos permitted to operate only for foreign passport holders using foreign currency. However, the rapid expansion of digital platforms has created a regulatory grey area, allowing offshore betting companies, most notably 1XBet, to attract Egyptian users without licenses, oversight, or consumer protections. By 2024, according to industry data, Egypt’s sports betting market alone was valued at $1.53 billion, with projections suggesting it could nearly double by 2032.
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Badawy warned that the unchecked spread of these platforms has led to serious social and financial consequences, particularly among young users, stressing that many operators function entirely outside Egypt’s legal framework.
In response, Parliament is drafting legislative amendments aimed at closing loopholes in cybercrime and telecommunications laws. The proposed measures are expected to permanently block illegal betting platforms, prevent them from re-entering the market under new domains or branding, and introduce deterrent penalties for users who engage with unlicensed applications.
