Online gambling in Iraq: regulation, licence and market guide

Is online gambling legal in Iraq?

Article 389 of the Iraqi Penal Code punishes opening or running a gambling establishment, or organizing gambling in a place open to the public, with up to one year's detention and a fine, punishes patrons with up to one month, and orders confiscation of money and equipment. The constitution names Islam as a foundational source of legislation, and investigative judges said in February 2026 that they apply Article 389 to online platforms by treating them as places open to the public while calling for the law to be modernized. The Communications and Media Commission's 2025 digital-platform regulations list Article 389 among the content standards platforms must respect, and on 13 July 2026 the Minister of Communications directed that every electronic betting and gambling platform be blocked. No licence of any kind exists.

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

Who regulates gambling in Iraq?

• Communications and Media Commission (CMC) — Telecoms and media regulator whose 2025 Framework Regulations for Digital Platforms treat gambling under Article 389 as prohibited content subject to restriction
• Ministry of Communications (MoC) — Directs national-level blocking of applications and websites, including the July 2026 order against all electronic betting and gambling platforms

Iraq gambling licence: how it works

There is no Iraq gambling licence and no authority empowered to issue one. The Penal Code's gambling section was written for physical venues, but the judiciary applies it to online platforms and their local agents, and financiers of gambling operations face the same penalty as organizers. The 2025 CMC framework requires digital platforms and services to comply with Iraqi law and lists gambling among the criminal content categories that can trigger takedown or restriction. In 2025–2026 the Ministry of Communications moved from case-by-case blocks, such as the December 2025 block of the Ludo app over its betting feature, to a blanket order against betting and gambling platforms. A foreign operator has no application to make and no lawful basis to accept Iraqi residents.

What an applicant needs

• No licensing authority, application process or fee exists for any form of gambling
• Digital platforms serving Iraq must comply with the CMC's 2025 Framework Regulations, which treat gambling as prohibited content
• Financing or organizing gambling carries the same penalty as running a gambling establishment (Penal Code Article 389)

Gambling taxes in Iraq

• Operators: None; no lawful gambling operators exist.
• Players: None published; winnings and equipment are subject to confiscation under Article 389(4).
• Also: Judges have described gambling as a crime of economic sabotage because it moves liquidity out of state oversight; confiscated assets pass to the treasury after a court ruling.

Advertising, player protection, KYC and payments

Advertising

No lawful gambling advertising exists. Promotion of betting apps by content creators and the sale of top-up credits for them fall within the conduct investigated under Article 389 and the CMC content standards.

Responsible gaming

Not applicable; there is no lawful gambling market. The Ministry of Communications cited digital addiction and family harm when blocking the Ludo betting feature in December 2025 and all betting platforms in July 2026.

Identity and age verification

Not applicable to gambling. Banks and payment service providers apply the Anti-Money Laundering Law No. 39 of 2015 and Central Bank of Iraq rules, which the CMC framework cross-references for fintech activity.

Payments

No payment provider may lawfully process gambling transactions for residents; the July 2026 blocking order was justified partly by the financial drain caused by betting platforms. Iraq is still cash-heavy, with mobile wallets and prepaid cards growing under Central Bank of Iraq licensing.

Notable restrictions

• Opening or running a gambling establishment, or organizing gambling in a public place: up to one year's detention and a fine (Penal Code Article 389)
• Patrons of a gambling place: up to one month's detention or a fine
• Money and equipment used for gambling are seized and confiscated; the venue may be closed for up to a year
• All electronic betting and gambling platforms ordered blocked by the Ministry of Communications on 13 July 2026
• Digital platforms must respect CMC content standards that list gambling as criminal content

Iraq iGaming market: size, players and payments

No reliable public estimate; there is no legal market and no official figures on unlawful online play.

Mobile internet is the primary access channel, which is why enforcement has focused on app blocking rather than venue raids.

No licensed operators. Enforcement runs through the judiciary under Article 389 and through Ministry of Communications blocking orders.

Timeline: how Iraq got here

1. 1969Penal Code No. 111 of 1969 criminalizes running or frequenting gambling establishments (Article 389)
2. 2005Constitution names Islam a foundational source of legislation
3. 2025-03CMC publishes Framework Regulations for Digital Platforms and Services listing gambling among criminal content standards
4. 2025-12Ministry of Communications blocks the Ludo app, citing its betting system and family harm
5. 2026-02Investigative judges publicly call for Penal Code amendments to address electronic betting
6. 2026-07Minister of Communications orders all electronic betting and gambling platforms blocked

Outlook

Judges and officials have asked for a Penal Code amendment that names online gambling explicitly and gives prosecutors tools against cross-border platforms; a text had not been published as of September 2026. Expect the blanket blocking order to be maintained and extended to payment channels and promoters. There is no proposal to license any form of gambling.

GameBridge and Iraq

Not served by GameBridge. Iraq prohibits gambling under its Penal Code, has no licence and blocks betting platforms at national level, so GameBridge brands exclude Iraq by default; this page exists so compliance teams can verify the position quickly.

Iraq is on the default exclusion list of every GameBridge brand: geo-controls block Iraqi IP ranges and registrations, Iraqi identity documents are rejected at onboarding, and the dinar is not offered as a wallet currency. The Arabic site language remains available for brands in other markets where the operator's counsel has confirmed that residents may be served. Compliance teams can use this page to confirm the Penal Code position, the CMC content standards and the July 2026 blocking order. GameBridge offers no configuration that targets players in Iraq.

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.

• Iraqi Penal Code No. 111 of 1969 as amended (English), Article 389 — MENA Rights Group (official text reproduction), accessed 2026-09-11
• Framework Regulations for Digital Platforms and Services (Annex 1: Content Standards) — Communications and Media Commission of Iraq, accessed 2026-09-11
• Iraqi law inadequate to tackle online gambling, judges warn — 964media, accessed 2026-09-11
• Minister of Communications directs the blocking of all electronic betting and gambling platforms in Iraq — Baghdad Today, accessed 2026-09-11
• Iraq blocks Ludo over dangerous threats to families — Shafaq News, 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.