Key Points
- Parliamentary drafts aim to add explicit provisions against digital betting platforms to Egypt’s Cybercrime Law
- Maximum sentences could include life imprisonment for operators involved in organized criminal activity
- Authorities have already blocked approximately 80% of online gambling applications, including major platforms like 1xBet and MelBet
- Parliamentary member Martha Mahrous has proposed a tiered penalty system covering operators, intermediaries, and financial service providers
- Questions about VPN enforcement and payment provider accountability remain unaddressed in current legislative proposals
Egypt stands poised to implement some of the region’s most stringent legislation against online gambling. Legislative bodies are currently developing significant modifications to existing Cybercrime Law provisions that would specifically target digital betting applications and their supporting financial infrastructure.
For decades, Egyptian law has prohibited gambling activities for its citizens. However, these regulations were crafted during an era focused on brick-and-mortar establishments. The legislation never contemplated internet-based wagering, creating a regulatory void that international bookmakers have exploited to serve Egyptian customers.
Currently, numerous Egyptian residents utilize foreign gambling websites through virtual private networks and international payment systems. Current statutes lack precise language addressing these digital pathways, a deficiency that has generated persistent criticism from legislative representatives.
Proposed Legislative Framework
During May 2026, Ahmed Badawi, who leads the House Communications and Information Technology Committee, verified that government officials are developing modifications that would specifically identify electronic gambling activities.
The proposed punishments are exceptionally harsh. For the gravest offenses — particularly those connected to organized criminal enterprises and extensive fraudulent schemes — potential sentences could extend to life behind bars.
A complementary legislative proposal submitted by MP Martha Mahrous during January 2025 provides the most detailed framework for how punishments might be organized. Her proposal establishes three distinct categories.
Intermediaries and managers operating on behalf of gamblers would receive sentences between two and five years plus monetary penalties ranging from EGP1 million to EGP5 million. Financial facilitators could be sentenced to six months imprisonment with fines spanning EGP50,000 to EGP200,000. Platform operators or sponsors face prison terms of two to five years alongside fines from EGP5 million to EGP10 million.
Badawi has indicated the government intends to craft its own legislative language instead of directly incorporating the Mahrous proposal. While the two approaches differ, both demonstrate the committee’s active engagement on multiple fronts.
Enforcement Actions Already in Progress
Egyptian authorities have not delayed action pending new statutes. The National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority alongside the Supreme Council for Media Regulation have initiated efforts to restrict access to roughly 80% of digital betting platforms.
The Russian-licensed platform 1xBet, which had conducted aggressive marketing campaigns throughout Egypt utilizing influencers and social networking sites, was eliminated from Google Play and Apple’s App Store during September 2024. MelBet has similarly been included in the comprehensive suppression of gambling applications.
Badawi has announced that restricted applications will remain permanently banned and that forthcoming legislation will eliminate the regulatory gaps that enabled their expansion.
Numerous issues await clarification. Existing proposals do not provide explicit guidance regarding virtual private network usage or practical mechanisms for holding payment intermediaries accountable. Financial penalties for individual users who persist in accessing prohibited platforms have been mentioned in preliminary drafts, though no authorized documentation has been made public.
As of late June 2026, the government’s cybercrime modifications have not been placed on the parliamentary calendar. Badawi had suggested the legislative text would be introduced following Eid al-Adha in June, though no draft has yet been scheduled for parliamentary consideration.
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