Is online gambling legal in Jordan?

Legal overview

Jordan has no gambling regulator and no licensing system for casinos, betting or online gaming. Gambling is dealt with in the Penal Code No. 16 of 1960. Article 393 treats anyone who opens, runs or uses a house, room or other premises for unlawful gambling, or knowingly lets others do so, as running a public gambling place. Unlawful gambling covers card games and any other game in which luck does not treat all players equally, such as games where the banker or the organisers have an advantage over players. A law-firm summary of the following articles gives penalties of up to six months in prison and a fine of up to 50 dinars for running a gambling place, small fines and, for repeat offences, up to three months in prison for people found playing there, and confiscation of gambling equipment.

Article 397 also prohibits running, printing, advertising or selling lotteries, but excludes lotteries authorised by the competent authority, so licensed charity or promotional draws can exist.

The Penal Code was written for physical premises and we found no provision that names online or internet gambling, and no Jordanian licence for online casinos, sports betting or poker. Because no operator can be licensed locally, any online casino serving Jordan operates without Jordanian authorisation, and players have no local regulator to turn to. We could not verify reports of systematic blocking of gambling websites, so this page does not describe the enforcement practice.