No legislation prohibits or regulates esports betting in Egypt at any level. The federal government doesn't appear to be regulating online gambling anytime soon. As such, players don't need to worry about online esports betting. It is unclear whether any domestic sportsbooks will be licensed in the next few years. There are many accusations of Internet censorship and monitoring in Egypt at the moment. If government officials have to deal with internet-related issues, they likely feel there is a bigger fish to fry. In a hypothetical future scenario in which a licensing process is established, there is no way to know how it would be implemented.
Due to the lack of proper eSports legislation in Egypt, the government doesn't offer protection to citizens who indulge in online esports betting. Similarly, there are no specific options for processing esports betting payments in the country. For this matter, Egyptian punters use internationally recognized methods like Visa, MasterCard, and e-wallets. Many have al embraced esports betting sites with cryptocurrencies.
Betting acts in Egypt
In Egypt, gambling laws are primarily based on Sharia, which considers gambling illegal. The prescription was incorporated into the Criminal Code of Egypt in 1937 and subsequently amended in 1992. The 1937 Penal Code stipulates that any gambling operator can face detention and a monetary fine of up to 1,000 EGP. The same decree prohibits lottery games and ticket sales of the same. However, the interdiction excludes state-regulated casinos in Cairo and other cities.
According to the Criminal Code Book 3 Article 352-353, Egyptian citizens are not allowed to play games of chance within the country. Only tourists can bet in designated spots, but they must provide valid passports and meet the minimum legal age to access those places.
The Ministry of Tourism is in charge of monitoring land-based betting. It is the custodian of law number 1 of 1973 regarding touristic hotel activities. The law allows licensing of casinos that are based in 5 and 4-star resorts.
Online esports betting is not legal as of November 2018 as per the Islamic Sharia. So, no online betting sites are on offer. Even though the ban is clear-cut, many European sportsbooks have penetrated the country to provide betting services. Esports betting is among the few types of gambling available to the residents.