28/11/2025
Play 971 has entered the UAE market as the country’s first officially licensed and regulated online gaming platform.
According to industry reports, the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) added Play 971 to its public licence list on 28 November.
Many of the games on the platform come from companies that already hold a licence. However, the live-casino section includes games from suppliers that do not yet appear on the public list of approved providers.
What does that mean? In most regulated markets, casinos and the companies that make their games are licensed separately.
It raises the question of whether every part of the site has actually been approved by the regulator.
Why this matters
This launch is significant in the UAE’s move towards a regulated gambling sector. Until now, the UAE Lottery has been the only legal option.
For a country that has long maintained strict prohibitions, granting an online-gaming licence is a notable policy shift.
Sources suggest regulations allow for one online licensee per emirate, so there could be up to seven operators in the market. That assumes, of course, that every emirate opts to back an online gaming offering in the first place.
Even though the rules bar Emiratis from gambling, the country’s population is around 88% expat, giving operators a sizeable potential customer base.
Given the history and context, an online gambling rollout carries both promise and risks. Promise for regulators and operators looking for new revenue streams, and risks for individuals and communities who may face harm from exposure to gambling. Especially in a region where support services and addiction-awareness infrastructure may not yet be well established.
Why this matters for people and for support services
For products like Gamban, aiming to support people at risk and suffering from gambling harm, this kind of shift is a sign that more people may soon have access to online gambling.
Legal changes don’t necessarily mean safe changes
Just because a government grants a licence does not guarantee protection for players. If the UAE is opening its doors to online gambling, that could expose new groups to real risks.
As more operators enter newly regulated markets, it becomes even more important for people to have practical ways to stay in control or to quit altogether, such as blocking tools and self-exclusion options. The new platform has already been added to Gamban’s blocklist, keeping users protected from day one. Services focused on harm prevention will only become more crucial as markets like the UAE evolve.
