Egypt is stepping up enforcement actions against the gambling industry in the country, with 1XBet a particular priority according to local media outlets.

According to the Egypt Independent and Al-Masry Al-Youm, among other local sources, the move was announced by a senior MP in televised statements late last week.

MP Ahmed Badawy, Head of the Communications and Information Technology Committee in Egypt’s House of Representatives, announced that blocking measures will come into effect within days.

The Egyptian government is in the process of closing off any loopholes which enabled international betting operators to set up shop in the country, where gambling is largely illegal but companies have been able to find ways to operate.

According to Badawy, the government is drafting legislation to create a system of penalties for offshore betting companies which continue to target the Egyptian market after being blocked.

A stumbling block for 1XBet?

So far, the only company that has been mentioned in Egyptian media reports about apps to be blocked has been 1XBet. It is not clear at this time to what extent 1XBet has been active in Egypt, though the firm has told SBC News of its ambitions across the wider African gaming scene in recent years.

Africa was one of the focal points of 1XBet’s series of reports, the International Player Safety Index. The report examined factors like regulatory consistency, player monitoring and protection, cultural attitudes towards gambling, and black market activity.

1XBet is also a company which is no stranger to controversy. The firm is based in Cyprus and operates on a franchise model, but its white label licence in the UK was suspended back in 2019, and its licence was revoked in Ukraine in 2022. Its founders have also been the subject of a long-running criminal investigation in Russia.

It has, however, built up considerable brand visibility via partnerships with the likes of FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, the Billie Jean Cup, and esports teams, and its franchises hold licences in various markets. Over the past year, the firm has been readjusting, with a stated goal of operating only in regulated markets.

Also, while it is the only company mentioned in media reports around the Egyptian government’s blocking measures, it is not the only one to feature in lists of operators active in the country – 20bet, 22bet, MostBet and Melbet are all included in a list of ‘best betting sites in Egypt in 2026’ on affiliate website MightyTips, for example.

SBC News has approached 1XBet for comment on the Egyptian media reports.

The future for MENA

Gambling is largely prohibited, but some exceptions are allowed. The country has a National Lottery, while casino gambling is allowed within the confines of the tourism industry, one of Egypt’s biggest economic sectors.

A number of casino hotels are active in Cairo and are completely legal, like the Cairo Marriott Hotel, Fairmont Nile City and Ramses Hilton. Casino hotels are also present at some of Egypt’s resort cities, like Sharm El Sheikh.

Horse racing is also a popular and very historic sport in Egypt, overseen by the Jockey Club of Egypt. Betting on races is permitted at racetracks and at the casino hotel resorts, but not elsewhere – whether in person or online.

However, only foreign nationals with non-Egyptian passports can access these hotels. For the vast majority of Egyptians, gambling – and particularly online gambling – is an illegal, black market activity. Offshore betting sites are often accessed via a VPN.

The government’s decision to clamp down on gambling apps, with only 1XBet named in media reports, comes amid a wider readjustment of official policy around gaming and digital entertainment in general.

Shortly before announcing the gambling blocking campaign, Badawy announced that popular social game Roblox would be blocked in Egypt. This follows similar bans in Qatar and Turkey, with child safety the routinely cited reason.

Returning to the topic of gambling, the Egyptian government’s decision may cast doubt over the future prospects of the wider betting and gaming industry across MENA, which has been earmarked as having a lot of potential by the likes of Melbet.

A spark of local industry hope remains in the UAE, however. Like Egypt, gambling in the UAE is restricted to foreigners only, but the country is positioning itself as a leading hub for the industry in the Middle East, largely via the work of the eCommerce Online Gaming Regulatory Authority (eCOGRA).