Most of you have legal ways to play poker. It could be a local casino, a regulated online room, or an offshore poker site in a grey area of the law. To you, prison time for playing in a poker game is unrealistic at best, and Orwellian at worst.
Every one of these countries could put you behind bars, just for participation. A fine is usually added on top, but in some places, the sentence might include up to 74 lashes.
We've collected five places where poker is illegal, detailed the punishment you can expect, and cited the laws for any curious travelers. We'll start with a country you probably expect to see.
#1. North Korea
Most readers would correctly assume that poker is illegal in North Korea – with special exceptions for foreigners and probably some high-ranking officials as well. In Pyongyang, the capital city, brave tourists can find the usual casino games. However, it's unlikely that a poker table would find enough players to get going.
Due to North Korea's secretive nature, we don't have any idea about the game traffic, or if Texas Hold'em is even on offer. However, they definitely have chips because we included them on our list of Rare and Weird Poker Chips.
Foreigners in a licensed casino might be accepted, but it's a different story for North Korean citizens:
Criminal Code: Article 266 (Gambling)
Anyone who gambles using money or goods shall be punished by short-term labor for not more than two years. In serious cases, the punishment shall be reeducation through labor for not more than five years.
On top of this anti-gambling law, in North Korea:
- Using a cashless payment system can get you up to 3 years of "reeducation through labor."
- Earning foreign currency can also give a North Korean citizen up to two years of "short-term labor."
- Foreign currency exchanging (as one might do when they deposit to a poker site) can get you short-term labor of up to 2 years.
- Forget to pay tax on your poker winnings in North Korea? This could also get you two years of short-term labor.
Poker might not be popular here, but other card games are. A "climbing" card game called Sasaki, which means Four-Four-Ace, is one of the most popular in North Korea. Depending on the time of day, a different player will start each round. In this game, the strongest hand is a "pig" made with and you can form temporary alliances in some situations.
#2. Israel
In Israel, poker is banned, except in rare situations where games are purely social. The law criminalizes organizing gambling activities, as well as participating in specific forms. There is a national lottery, plus a state-sanctioned sports betting regulatory board, but Israel remains conservative toward games like poker. A law in 2017 gave the Israeli authorities the power to block access to gambling sites, though VPNs help determined players get around them.
For anyone who enjoys freedom, plans to play poker in Israel go in the muck. The Penal Law has clear rules for "prohibited games," which are any "game at which a person may win money, valuable consideration or a benefit according to the outcome of a game, that outcome depending more on chance than on understanding or ability.
Prohibition of Games
226. If a person played a prohibited game, then he is liable to one year imprisonment or to the fine said in section 61(a)(2). (Editor's note: Section 61 prescribes a fine of up to NS 26,100 or around $7,000).
As an organizer of a betting operation or an illegal game, a person could face up to three years in prison or a fine of around $120,000.
Still, poker with friends at home is probably an option and apparently, the scene is alive and well. Some estimates put the value of illegal gambling at over $3.5 billion in Israel.
#3. United Arab Emirates
Following the teaching of the Quran, several things that are legal in the West are illegal in the UAE. It probably comes as no shock to you that gambling is strictly forbidden as well, whether online or in person.
As with other Islamic states, gambling is taboo and illegal, unless you're playing at a state-licensed operator. Even though the Quran states that gambling is "evil of Satan's handiwork", it seems that a proper license is all businesses need to sidestep Allah's decree.
There are also murmurs of the UAE opening up slowly to gambling and it appears that a casino will be built by 2027. If that happens, several other establishments will probably receive licenses, but for now, Federal Law forbids it.
Article (461)
Whoever gambles shall be punished with incarceration for a period not exceeding (2) two years or a fine not exceeding (50,000) fifty thousand AED.The penalty shall be incarceration or a fine if the crime is committed in a public place or a place opened to the public or business premises or a house prepared and equipped for gambling.
For anyone operating the game, the sentence is very amplified. Those who run gambling operations can face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to 100,000 AED (or around $27,000).
#4. Sudan
The Republic of Sudan in Northeast Africa is no warmer towards poker and gambling than other Islamic nations. Other African countries like Uganda, Kenya, and Nigeria all have legal gambling options, but that's surely not the case in war-torn Sudan. With such a dire situation in the region, gambling laws are probably near the bottom of the to-do list.
If you're caught gambling in Sudan, what's the penalty? Like North Korea and the next country on our list, Sudan's punishment for gambling could get physical. According to the 1991 Criminal Act:
Chapter II: Gambling or running a place for gambling
80.(1) Whoever gambles, or runs any game or activity which consists of gambling, or runs a house, or a place for that object, or abets any of the same, shall be punished, with imprisonment, for a term, not exceeding one year, or with fine, or with whipping, not exceeding twenty five lashes, and the house, or place may be closed, or forfeited, if it is owned by the offender, or used with the knowledge of the owner.
Sudan's government actively blocks gambling sites, along with anything promoting drugs, alcohol, weapons, pornography, and insults against Islam.
#5: Iran
Like many Islamic theocracies, gambling in Iran goes against strong religious beliefs. Poker and other gambling activities are prohibited since they run counter to Shia Islamic teachings. This applies to online poker, just as much as live poker.
So, what happens if you get caught playing poker or gambling? Well, it depends on whether you were discovered in public or not. Here's what the Islamic Penal Code of Iran says:
Article 705– Gambling by any means is forbidden and the offenders shall be sentenced to one to six months’ imprisonment or up to 74 lashes; and if they commit gambling publically, they shall be sentenced to both the punishments.
Iran's Civil Code also states that "Gambling and betting are void transactions," but law updates took an even more aggressive stance.
"The plan consists of restrict punishments for groups and gangs," the deputy chair of the Majlis Judicial Commission explained. "In the case of repetition and persistence on crime and non-repenting, judges can issue the death sentence against gamblers and bettors for ‘corruption on earth’ even if they acted in the form of groups or gangs.”
Even promoting gambling from outside the country is enough to get in hot water, as Milad Hatemi found out. He was arrested in Turkey and extradited back to Iran, charged with running an online gambling platform. Using millions of followers, he promoted gambling, and faced the death penalty in 2022 (https://iranwire.com/en/society/105724-instagram-star-faces-death-penalty-in-iran-over-betting-sites/).
