Bet on Sports
However, many Iraq nationals bet online. And while there are no online sportsbooks licensed in Iraq (there is no licensing body after all), these citizens turn to offshore platforms to satisfy their betting enthusiasm.
Thankfully, hundreds of online sportsbooks admit people from Iraq, allowing them to place bets on a wide range of sports, including football, basketball, tennis, volleyball, etc. Hence, while betting may not be prevalent in Iraq, the fact is, a considerable percentage of the Iraqi population enjoy it.
To help the reader better understand the betting landscape, this post looks at the history of gambling in Iraq, the favorite games and payment methods for bettors in Iraq, and the legality of this pastime in the country.
While there is Sharia Law which is quite prohibitive on matters of betting and gambling in general, there used to be a few betting establishments in Iraq before 2014 when the war broke out. In fact, physical betting locations, especially those in Suleimani city, operated until recently. However, following the 2018 police crackdown on gamblers in Iraq, gambling in physical casinos seems to have been put to bed.
As anyone would expect of an Arabian country, horse racing has always been one of the most popular sports in Iraq, and betting on this sport is believed to be among the oldest betting practices in the country. Despite its popularity, the former Iraq president, Sadam Hussein, banned the sport and commanded that a mosque be erected at the country's biggest horse racing track.
Besides horse racing, camel racing is yet another sport that enjoyed popularity in Iraq. This was a sport of young boys from Pakistan and Bangladesh. In 2006, riders were replaced with robots. In Saddam's tenure, organizing cockfighting events was prohibited, and this has been upheld to date (as of 2022). This seems unfair to fans and punters, considering that the activity was part of the country's culture for centuries.
What to note from the above history
Games of chance have had it rough in Iraq, especially during the reign of Saddam Hussein. Hence, local bettors seem to be short of alternatives. They can either visit illegal betting establishments and risk being punished or forego betting. But as they say, there is always a way out, no matter how bad a situation is.
The solution here is international betting sites. Perhaps when the war ends in the future, the government of Iraq will allow bookmakers to operate in the country legally. What about a gambling licensing body? Maybe it will be set up; no one knows.
