Written by
Numa JabaraBest Online Bookmakers For Arab Players
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The bookmakers on our list are the best right now, but things might be different in the coming weeks and months. We always want to provide up-to-date information, so we constantly update our list of the best online bookmakers for Arab players to include relevant changes.
🌐Best betting site | Fortune Panda |
💰Best betting bonus | Cloudbet |
🎁Best welcome bonus | 22bet |
💸Best no deposit bonus | Betway |
Online Sports Betting Laws In Arab Countries
A few countries in the Middle East - Lebanon, Morocco, and Egypt - have physical casinos, even though those in Egypt tend to be visited mainly by foreigners. The laws that prohibit gambling in the Arab world also extend to online gambling.
As an Arab player, you can still visit online gambling sites since they are available worldwide, but you might need a VPN to bypass bans placed by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and to stay hidden from authorities.
Morocco and Lebanon do not restrict access to online gambling, as they both allow sports betting, while Morocco has an online lottery.
How To Bet Safely In Arab Countries?
Betting safely in Arab countries involves finding a safe betting site, setting up protective measures, and using a secure payment method.
Find The Right Betting Site
The safety of a betting site is the first thing you should consider as an Arab player. You want a betting platform that is not vulnerable so that your information can be kept safe. The best betting site options for Arab players are likely those that are owned by bookmakers in other countries.
Protect Yourself With A VPN
The term VPN means Virtual Private Network, and it is a tool that secures the connection between your device and whatever site you’re visiting.
Every device has a unique IP address that serves as a personal means of identification for that device. An IP address can be used to find the general location of a device. When you use a VPN, your IP address is hidden from the site you’re on, hiding your identity and location.
Also, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the Middle East often stop Arabian players from accessing gambling sites. With a VPN, your IP address will be rerouted to another server anywhere in the world, keeping you hidden and letting you visit these restricted sites.
Transact Through Anonymous Methods
Safe betting in an Arab country includes the payment method that you use since openly transacting with a betting platform can be risky in the Middle East. Payment methods that keep you anonymous should be a priority.
To transact on the internet without being noticed, crypto payments are the best option, followed by electronic wallets like PayPal and Skrill. Using a bank transfer or your bank card to deposit or withdraw is risky because the transaction can be traced directly to you.
How We Rate Betting Websites?
Our process of selecting the best betting websites for Arab players involves crosschecking our bookmaker options through a group of necessary criteria, explained below.
Security/Trust
The security of a betting site comes first when deciding whether it is a great betting platform that should be regarded highly. Despite the player-friendly features that a bookmaker’s site might have, if player safety is not guaranteed, then the site is not worth gaming at.
To be rated highly, a bookmaker must be licensed by a recognized gaming authority and their site must have SSL encryption to protect players from possible cyber attacks.
Anonymity
We value a betting website based on how anonymous it is, and this is particularly vital for Arab players because of government restrictions against betting. Before we can conclude that a bookmaker is solid enough to be included in our list, we ensure that they keep the personal information of players from third parties.
Bonuses
Another metric we use to rate online betting platforms is whether they offer bonuses and promotions to new and existing players to welcome them to a site and keep them playing.
A high-profile bookmaker will offer bonuses that are profitable, making a player’s betting experience a lot better. Also, the bonuses must have reasonable terms and conditions and must be easy to claim.
Customer Support
No system is perfect, including a betting site, so there might be issues that come up occasionally as a player uses a bookmaker’s website. The presence of functional customer support matters a lot when rating betting sites.
We like to see bookmakers help out customers quickly, efficiently, and in a professional, player-friendly manner.
Payment Options
A great betting site is unwelcome if you cannot make transactions with ease. We always pay more attention to setups that handle both outgoing and incoming transactions speedily.
Player safety is also a priority, so we prefer bookmakers that offer players payment methods that are secure, preventing cases of fraud and other issues relating to losing money.
Apart from the factors listed above, other features that determine how we view a betting site include feedback from customers (past or present), how long a betting site has been active, and the variety of games/events available on the site.
In addition, we review the general reputation of the bookmaker in the betting industry, how easy it is to sign up on the bookmaker’s website, the value of the odds offered by the bookmaker, whether the betting platform is easy to navigate, and if the bookmaker provides mobile access (a mobile app).
Betting Bonuses
We have mentioned how a betting site with fair bonuses is a great choice for betting enthusiasts. Now, we want to shed some light on the most prominent bonuses that are available in the sports betting market.
Deposit Bonus
A deposit bonus is given to new players after they make their first deposit from their bank account into their sports betting account. The value of a deposit bonus is often a percentage of the deposit. Also, a deposit bonus might only be offered when your deposit is equal to or above a given minimum required amount.
No Deposit Bonus
A no-deposit bonus is given to new players for simply creating an account, without needing to deposit money. Since it is totally free, a no-deposit bonus is not as common or lucrative as a deposit bonus.
Free Bet
A free bet is a bonus amount that you can bet with instead of using your own money. Usually, the value of a free bet is a small amount and you can only use it to bet on a restricted range of games or events.
Risk-Free Bet
With a risk-free bet, if the bet you place is lost, you will be refunded the amount used in the bet. A risk-free bet is perfect for betting with large amounts of money since you are certain that you will get your stake back in case of a loss.
Improved Odds
Bookmakers sometimes increase the number of odds attached to an event as a bonus. By improving the odds of a bet, a bookmaker offers you the opportunity of winning more money than you usually would without needing to increase how much you stake.
Reload Bonus
A reload bonus is the same as a deposit bonus, but the difference is that reload bonuses are for existing players while deposit bonuses are for new players. A reload bonus encourages returning players to continue depositing and betting with a bookmaker.
Rebate Offer
A rebate offer involves getting a partial refund of all the bets that you lose within a given time frame. Existing players benefit from rebate offers and it cushions the effect of losing a lot of money from several bets.
Cashback Offer
A cashback offer is identical to a rebate offer, as it also involves players getting a partial refund of their stake. Both offers differ because a cashback offer gives you partial refunds on your stakes regardless of whether the bet is lost or won.
Loyalty Bonus and VIP Programs
Loyalty bonuses and VIP programs are designed to reward players that bet more consistently and with larger amounts than most other players. These recognized players get access to exclusive events and special bonuses.
Best Popular Sports In The Arab World
Thousands of sports exist around the world and only a percentage of them are available as events on betting sites. Among the sports that you can bet on at a bookmaker’s site, an even smaller number of them are distinguished among Arab players.
Football
Football is the most popular sport in the world, so it is no surprise that it is also the number one sport that people around the world and in the Middle East place bets on. Football is popular among bettors because there are so many football competitions and events that Arab players can choose from.
The top five leagues in club football are;
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English Premier League
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Spanish La Liga
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Italian Serie A
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German Bundesliga
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French Ligue 1.
The Champions League is a yearly football competition where top European clubs come together to compete.
Apart from club football, players can also decide to bet on events associated with international football. International competitions like the Euros, Copa America, the Asian Cup, the African Cup of Nations, and ultimately, the World Cup offer bettors a wide range of possibilities to bet on.
The most popular bet type in football betting is guessing the outcome of a game - either a win, draw, or loss. Some other common football bets are the number of goals to be scored, the number of corners, the final score of the match, and the number of yellow cards given.
Horce Racing
Horse racing has been around for thousands of years, and today, there are official horse racing events that are regulated, televised, and betted on by Arab players. Like football, horse races are held at various locations around the world at regular intervals.
France, Dubai, England, the USA, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, and Australia are some countries that can boast of hosting some of the biggest horse racing events in the world. A few of these noteworthy horse racing events are;
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Dubai World Cup
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Grand National
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Saudi Cup
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Kentucky Derby
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Melbourne Cup
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Pegasus World Cup
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Epsom Derby
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Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
During horse races, some horses are routinely considered to be favorites, and betting on them will have smaller odds since they have a bigger chance of winning the race.
The most simple form of horse betting is placing a single bet on a horse to win a race. Other more complicated bets involve staking money on two, three, or even four horses in different races, with higher odds than single bets.
Tennis
The origin of tennis dates back to France, somewhere between the 11 and 13th centuries. Currently, professional tennis games are officially regulated by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
There are worldwide tennis tournaments that are active every year, and players can bet on any of these through a proper bookmaker. However, there is a category of tennis tournaments that are more prestigious than all others, called the Grand Slam.
The Grand Slam consists of four main tournaments;
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The Australian Open (January)
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The French Open (May to June)
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Wimbledon (June to July)
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The US Open (August to September).
Apart from the four grand slam tournaments, betting enthusiasts can choose from other competitions organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).
When betting on a tennis game, a few popular bet types include the player that will win a match or a tournament and the number of games that will make up a match. If you are interested in live betting, you can also bet on who will win the next point or the next set.
Basketball
In Arabic countries, basketball is one of the favorite sports that people place bets on, and there is no shortage of basketball outcomes that you can choose to bet on.
The most straightforward bet that you can place on a basketball game is predicting who will win. Other bets include the minimum or maximum number of points that will be scored in a game, the first team to reach a number of points, and how many points, assists, or rebounds a player will make.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) in North America is the biggest basketball league in the world, and it offers games and players of the highest profile. Other notable basketball leagues are Liga ACB in Spain, Egyptian Basketball Super League, NBL in Australia and New Zealand, and Basketball Africa League.
You can use some criteria to increase your chances of winning a basketball bet including checking the travel schedules of basketball teams, their injuries, their head-to-head record, and their scoring history.
Greyhound Racing
Greyhounds try to outrun each other within an enclosed track, and this sport has the attention of many people that bet in the Arab world. In greyhound race betting, the most basic bet is which dog is likely to win a race.
To spice things up, you can predict the dogs that will finish in the first two or three positions and whether the dog that wins will have an even or odd number. Apart from real-life greyhound racing, you can bet on virtual greyhound races.
Camel Racing
Camels are a lot faster than they look, and camel racing is an exciting sport that has deep roots in Arabian culture. In the UAE, North Africa, and other regions of the world, camel races attract both tourists and gamblers.
You can bet on a camel to win the race or even on the first two or three camels for much higher odds. Like greyhound racing, virtual camel racing is also a good betting option.
Cricket
Cricket is originally an English sport, but it has gained worldwide appeal over time, and it is currently one of the best sports betting options for Arab players. With the right bookmaker, you can get impressive odds when betting on various forms of cricket games.
There are four main types of cricket matches that you can watch and bet on:
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Test cricket
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One-Day cricket
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T20 cricket
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and T10 cricket.
Of the four, Test cricket is the oldest, most traditional form, while T10 is the newest.
Among the betting options, the most popular is predicting which team will win or if there will be a tie. Other betting options in cricket are;
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If a match will be completed the same day it starts
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Who the top bowler or batsman will be
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What team will win a tournament or series
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The maximum or minimum score for a match.
Boxing
As a combat sport, boxing can be breathtaking to watch, and players in the Arab world take advantage of the sport’s widespread influence by placing bets on boxing matches. Betting on high-profile boxing matches is not common as big fights do not happen very often.
The betting probabilities in boxing are also numerous because a lot of action occurs within a boxing match, including;
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What boxer will win a fight
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How long a fight will last (time duration or the number of rounds)
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Whether a boxing match will end by stoppage or knockout.
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You can increase your chances of winning boxing bets by studying a boxer’s previous record, fighting style, and the difference in weight.
Formula One
Formula One (F1) is the biggest vehicle racing series in the world at the moment, and it includes the most skilled drivers and the best vehicle manufacturers.
A few distinguished Formula One drivers are Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Michael Schumacher, and Max Verstappen. Ferrari has bragging rights when it comes to the most successful F1 constructors, followed by others like McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes.
During F1 betting, the majority of bets are about who will win a race and qualifying pole positions. You can also bet on who will finish in the top 3 or top 6 positions.
Esports
Esports are online video game contests between professional gamers, and they have gained a lot of attention in the Middle East in recent years. The 2024 Esports World Cup (July 4 - August 24) is hosted in Saudi Arabia, and this is a significant step for Esports in Arab countries.
Betting on Esports is another matter entirely, as most Arab countries prohibit all forms of betting, and Arab players have to rely on foreign Esports betting sites.
How To Register At A Bookmaker?
After finding a bookmaker that you’re interested in, the next step is registering on the bookmaker’s website so you can begin betting. The exact procedure for registering might differ based on the bookmaker, but there’s a general format that you can follow.
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Go to the bookmaker’s site.
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Click on the link that says “Register”, “Join”, or “Sign Up”.
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Input your personal information as requested by the bookmaker. This often includes your name, email address, and home address.
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A promo code might be needed so you can claim a welcome bonus if there is one.
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Choose your preferred mode of payment. A bookmaker might also ask you to submit a means of identification to prove that you are not a minor.
After your registration is complete, you can claim a deposit bonus by funding your betting account, depending on the bookmaker’s terms and conditions.
Most Secure Payment Methods For Betting
The payment method that you use when betting is important since you need an avenue through which you can withdraw and deposit money with minimal stress and maximum security. For players in the Middle East, security when paying at a betting site is extra important so you can stay under the radar.
The most secure payment method when betting is cryptocurrency. There is no authority that governs the circulation and transfer of crypto coins because cryptocurrency is decentralized. So, when you pay with crypto, your transactions won’t be traceable.
Some of the most common crypto options that are accepted by online betting platforms include Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), and Bitcoin Cash (BCH).
After cryptocurrency, the next best payment option for staying anonymous is an e-wallet. The security provided by an e-wallet is higher than that of your regular bank account but not as absolute as cryptocurrency.
PayPal, Neteller, WebMoney, Skrill, and ecoPayz are some e-wallet establishments that are reliable, serving as good payment methods for Arab betting enthusiasts.
Best Online Bookmakers Sites in Your Country
Saudi Arabia Online Bookmakers
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Oman Online Bookmakers
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Iraq Online Bookmakers
Jordan Online Bookmakers
Syria Online Bookmakers
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Algeria Online Bookmakers
Morocco Online Bookmakers
Tunisia Online Bookmakers
Libya Online Bookmakers
Egypt Online Bookmakers
Sudan Online Bookmakers
Numa is a writer who is passionate about everything that is related to gambling. With 5 years of experience in gambling industry, he finds the drive to write about it- all the way from the intricacies of gambling to the latest trends in technology.
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