Iraq Bookmakers

Iraq is a country in southwest Asia and northeastern Arabian Peninsula region of the world. It is surrounded by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, Syria and Jordan to the west, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the south and the Persian Gulf to the southeast. Concerning gambling in general, including Iraq bookmakers and sports betting, this area is highly controlled and mainly prohibited. bookmakers legislation, regulating authorities, licensing, taxation, banned and allowed types of bets.

Iraq Bookmakers

Table of Contents

1958: Gambling banned in Iraq.

1969: Iraq’s Penal Code prohibits any form of gambling.

2007: Iraq is the AFC Asian Cup champion.

April 2023: Police operations against black spots in the capital.

1960: Iraq finally gets its first Olympic medal in weightlifting.

Historical Context

  • 1958: It is worth to notice that gambling has never been legal in Iraq since the formation of the country.
  • 1969: The Penal Code of Iraq clearly banned all forms of gambling (maisir) based on the Islamic (Shari’ah) law, to which Iraq owes much in legal terms even if it is technically a secular state.

Key Legal Provisions

According to the 1969 Penal Code:

  • Gambling Operations: It specifies that operators can be fined up to 100 dinars and imprisoned for up to one year.
  • Individual Gamblers: The laws can be severe; local web gamblers can be fined up to 50 dinars or jailed for up to a month but such cases are not often prosecuted.

Recent Enforcement Actions

  • April 2023: Iraqi police have arrested 198 people during police operations on the gambling and alcohol serving establishments during the fasting month of Ramadan. The operations were carried out in four places in Baghdad and led to the detention of 159 Iraqis and 32 foreigners.

Regulatory and Licensing of Iraq Bookmakers

Regulatory Bodies

Unfortunately, Iraq does not have a special commission for the regulation of gambling as all types of gambling are prohibited in this country.

Licensing

  • Gambling Licenses: N/A as there are no gambling licenses in Iraq.

Taxation on Gambling

  • Gambling Taxation: As for the taxes on gambling, N/A, there is no special gambling tax in Iraq.
  • Taxation on Winnings: N/A, not officially established because gambling is prohibited in many countries.

Prohibited and Allowed Bets

  • Prohibited Bets: Gambling in general and online gambling in particular are prohibited in all the countries.
  • Allowed Bets: There are no statistics because the law does not allow any form of gambling activity.

Sports Betting in Iraq

Popular Sports

Despite the stringent gambling laws, Iraq has a thriving sports culture, particularly in football:

  • Football: Football being the most widely followed sport with many Iraqis following the Iraqi Premier League (Dawri Al-Nokhba).
  • Basketball, Kickboxing, and Wrestling: Also are popular to a great extent.

Notable Achievements

2007: Iraq was crowned the champion of the AFC Asian Cup after they beat Saudi Arabia.

  • 2006: Won the silver in the Asian Games that was held in Qatar.
  • 1950: This year Iraq joined the FIFA.
  • Olympic Participation: Iraq joined the Olympic Movement in 1948, and then resumed participation in 1960 and entered the weightlifting arena to win the first Olympic medal.

Prominent Athletes

  • Ahmed Al-Samarrai: He was a 1960 Rome Olympics gold medalist in the 400 meters hurdle race.
  • Riyadh Al-Azzawi: A kickboxer with an undefeated record who has won all his fights for him total of 34.
  • Younis Mahmoud: I would like to nominate Ahmed Abdul Qadir Hussain who is the captain of the Iraqi national football team that triumphed in the 2007 Asian Cup competition.

Conclusion

The legal status of gambling, bookmakers, and sports betting in Iraq is highly unfavorable and mostly prohibited due to both the Islamic influence and the stringent legislation. Despite the fact that a sports culture is well developed in the country, there are no legal possibilities for betting and gambling. Those who wish to study sports and betting in Iraq will have to go through numerous legal provisions that focus on prohibition and regulation.

FAQ of Iraq Bookmakers

Related content

Asia Bookmakers

Russia Bookmakers

Russia Bookmakers

Russia, located in the eastern portion of the europe continent, has its capital in Moscow and occupies a total of space of 17, 098, 200 square kilometers and it neighbors fourteen countries. spans the Eurasian continent. This large country has ... Read More about Russia Bookmakers
Indonesia Bookmakers

Indonesia Bookmakers

Indonesia is an archipelagic country located in Southeast Asia and its capital city is Jakarta. It neighbours with Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Malaysia. Indonesia remains to this date a country where gambling is outlawed and the government has ... Read More about Indonesia Bookmakers
Nepal Bookmakers

Nepal Bookmakers

Nepal is shares its borders with China and India. Kathmandu city in particular has a somewhat complicated history of gambling legal framework, characterized by strict laws and restrictions on gambling activities in the country. Nonetheless, the Nepalese legal system with ... Read More about Nepal Bookmakers
Yemen Bookmakers

Yemen Bookmakers

Yemen is a country situated in the southwestern most part of the Arabian peninsula and share borders with Saudi Arabia and Oman; and has the Red sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian sea as their coastlines. Yemen has ... Read More about Yemen Bookmakers
Bhutan Bookmakers

Bhutan Bookmakers

Bhutan is situated on the southern slope of the eastern Himalayas and it shares its border with China in three directions east, north and west and south with India and is also a country which has restricted gambling laws. This ... Read More about Bhutan Bookmakers
Jordan Bookmakers

Jordan Bookmakers

Jordan is located in the western Asia neighbouring Palestine/Israel to the west, Syria to the North, Iraq to the northeast, Saudi Arabia to the south and southeast and the Gulf of Aqaba to the southwest. Jordan’s stance on gambling is ... Read More about Jordan Bookmakers
China Bookmakers

China Bookmakers

Legal regulation of gambling in China is quite rigorous and has its roots in the early period of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. However, there are some types of betting and lotteries that are legally allowed and they ... Read More about China Bookmakers
Sri Lanka Bookmakers

Sri Lanka Bookmakers

Sri Lanka which is a South Asian island nation in the Indian Ocean is slowly but steadily finding its place in the gambling and sports betting industry. This South Asian country with Colombo as its capital is not only famous ... Read More about Sri Lanka Bookmakers
Armenia Bookmakers

Armenia Bookmakers

Armenia is a country in the South Caucasus, situated at the crossroads of the Syriac and Turanic regions and is flanked by Turkey, Iran, Georgia, and Azerbaijan with its capital in Yerevan. Nonetheless, Armenia has a well-established gambling industry, with ... Read More about Armenia Bookmakers
Singapore Bookmakers

Singapore Bookmakers

Singapore is one of the regional countries that veterinary sports gambling and bookmakers with precise legislation on any form of gambling. The purpose of this paper will be to recognize the complex features of Singapore bookmakers and sports betting policies ... Read More about Singapore Bookmakers
Scroll to Top