Mifal HaPais
pais.co.il
🇮🇱For operators · Tax, marketing & compliance
Israel gambling market for operators: state monopoly
State monopoly. Only Mifal HaPais (lottery, under a Finance Minister's permit) and the Sports Betting Council's Winner (sports betting, by statute) are legal; online casino and poker have no legal route, and offshore sites face court blocking orders and card controls.
Product by product
There is no gambling licence for private operators: only Mifal HaPais (lotteries, under a Finance Minister permit) and the Sports Betting Council (by statute) may run games.| Product | Status | Licensed by | Tax | Key restriction | Advertising |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports betting | State monopoly | Sports Betting Council ('Winner'), by the Sports Betting Regulation Law 1967 | No operator tax in the Income Tax Ordinance; the Council is exempt from taxes to the extent the State is | Reserved to the one statutory Council; no private licence exists | The Council may not advertise betting on radio or television 13:00-19:00, except during sport broadcasts |
| Lottery | State monopoly | Mifal HaPais, under a Minister of Finance permit (Penal Law s. 231) | Mifal HaPais income is exempt except income from a business it carries on | Permit runs to 31 December 2026; the Knesset Research Centre says it bars sale on the Internet | Permitted for the permitted organiser only; for everyone else printing or publishing a notice of a lottery or bet is an offence (s. 227) |
| Online casino and slots | Banned | None; no online casino or slots licence exists | Not applicable | Organising or conducting a prohibited game is an offence of up to 3 years' imprisonment or double the s. 61(a)(4) fine (about NIS 452,000 per the consolidated text). Offshore sites still reach Israeli players, in Hebrew and on mirror domains; they are met by court orders restricting access to the site under the 2017 law on using an internet site to commit offences (14 orders sought in the year to 1 May 2025, all granted, 3 of them for gambling and lottery offences), and by Bank of Israel Directive 411, which bars card acquirers from approving card payments they suspect are for prohibited gambling (ss. 84-87). These routes come from the court-order record and a 2023 study; no offshore site was read from an Israeli connection for this edition. | An offence under s. 227 |
| Online poker | Banned | None; no poker licence exists | Not applicable | Prohibited under the same Penal Law provisions as other casino games, with the same court blocking orders and card-payment controls (Directive 411, ss. 84-87) | An offence under s. 227 |
| Betting by private operators | Banned | None; sports bets belong to the Council, other bets to Mifal HaPais under permit | Not applicable | Any bet outside those two is prohibited. Sites are met by court blocking orders (2017 law, s. 2) and card-payment controls (Directive 411, ss. 84-87) | An offence under s. 227 |
Coming up31 Dec 202631 December 2026
What happens when Mifal HaPais's permit ends?
Mifal HaPais's current permit runs from May 2022 to 31 December 2026. As of 9 November 2026 no permit for the period from 1 January 2027 has been published. The bills on online gambling in the 25th Knesset are all private members' bills, none beyond the preliminary reading, including the Bill to Regulate Legal Gambling in Israel 5783-2023, which would appoint a Commissioner and a Council.
Knesset Research Centre on Mifal HaPais ↗Bill to Regulate Legal Gambling in Israel ↗
Regulator and player protection in Israel
Self-exclusion scheme
No self-exclusion scheme in law
How players exclude themselves; what it covers is in the player guide
Mandatory RG controls
No limit imposed on players
Deposit limits or reality checks the law requires operators to offer
Heads-up for operators
3 items · last change 9 Nov 2026
As of 9 November 2026 no government bill on online gambling or on a gambling regulator is before the Knesset. The bills pending in the 25th Knesset are private members' bills, none past the preliminary reading: the Bill to Regulate Legal Gambling in Israel 5783-2023 (P/2462/25, MK Merav Michaeli), which would create a gambling Commissioner and Council funded by the organisers; a Penal Law amendment banning the marketing and sale of bets by anyone without a permit (2022); and two Sports Betting Law amendments on the Council's balance of income (2024). Mifal HaPais's permit ends on 31 December 2026, and no replacement permit has been published.
Mifal HaPais permit ends
The permit in force since May 2022 ends; no replacement has been published as of 9 November 2026.
Bill to Regulate Legal Gambling (private)
A private member's bill (P/2462/25) for a gambling Commissioner and Council; not past the preliminary reading.
Not yet in force: drafts, laws adopted without a start date, and sections of the law still to be commenced. An item moves to the timeline below on the day it takes effect.
Getting licensed: no online licence route
Why there is no online licence, and what exists instead, are in the licence guide
No private operator can be licensed online. The legal basis, what the law allows instead and what an operator or supplier can do are set out there.Read the licence guide
Gambling tax and fees in Israel
Detail
Israel imposes no gambling duty on operators' turnover or gross gaming revenue; the Income Tax Ordinance taxes the winner (35%, withheld by the payer) and nothing can be licensed to a private operator. The two lawful operators return their surplus instead: Mifal HaPais under its permit (the 2017-2021 permit set NIS 108 million for student scholarships, the culture council and others), the Sports Betting Council by statute (s. 9(a1) positive balance to the State; s. 8C minimum shares of turnover for winners and the public).
Companies pay corporate tax at 23% (s. 126(a)); the Council is exempt from taxes to the extent the State is (Sports Law s. 10).
Which foreign licences Israel accepts
Israel recognises none of these 8 foreign licences.
BannedMalta (MGA) · United Kingdom (UKGC) · Gibraltar (GRA) · Isle of Man (GSC) · Curaçao · Kahnawake (KGC) · Anjouan · Alderney (AGCC)
Not recognised: an organiser of a lottery, bet or prohibited game for Israeli players commits an offence whatever licence it holds elsewhere (Penal Law s. 225); its site can be blocked by court order (2017 Internet Site Law).
Bonus rules: welcome bonuses restricted
Inducement ads: Channel-restricted
No statute regulates bonuses: the state games carry no bonus structure in law, and for anyone else promoting a lottery or bet is an offence (Penal Law s. 227).
What the player can claim
- Welcome bonus
- Restricted
- VIP schemes
- Restricted
- Loyalty schemes
- Restricted
- Cashback
- Restricted
Only the two state operators may offer anything; no rule on welcome bonuses, free bets or wagering requirements exists in the statutes, and for anyone else promoting a bet is an offence.
What the operator can advertise
- Channels off-limits
- Israeli radio and television, 13:00-19:00, for the Sports Betting Council (except during sport broadcasts)
- Penalties
Publishing a notice of an unpermitted lottery or bet: up to one year's imprisonment or double the s. 61(a)(3) fine (NIS 75,300 per the consolidated text).
The Ministers may make advertising regulations (s. 8A1(c)); none has been published.
Advertising: limited
Only the two lawful organisers may advertise gambling in Israel: Mifal HaPais for its permitted lotteries and the Council for the Regulation of Sports Betting (Winner). For anyone else, printing or publishing a notice of a lottery or bet is an offence (Penal Law s. 227: up to one year), and a site carrying an unlawful operation can be blocked by court order (2017 Internet Site Law). The Council may not advertise betting on Israeli radio or television between 13:00 and 19:00, except during sport broadcasts; no other channel is restricted by statute, and the advertising regulations the Ministers may make have not been published.
| Channel | Status | Vertical & Platform Split (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Ads | Restricted | No rule is specific to search: online advertising by the Council is unrestricted by statute; for anyone else it is the s. 227 offence.12 |
| Meta (FB/IG) | Restricted | Treated as online advertising: open to the two lawful organisers, an offence for anyone else (s. 227).12 |
| TV & Radio | Restricted | The Council may not advertise betting on Israeli radio or television between 13:00 and 19:00, except during a sport broadcast or a programme mainly about sport (Sports Law s. 8A1(a), Second Schedule).23 |
| Sponsorships | Restricted | The Council may sponsor sport: its spending under agreements with sports bodies is capped at NIS 70 million a year (halved if turnover is NIS 1,500 million or less), with at least NIS 7 million to social projects (s. 8D).2 |
| Digital OOH | Restricted | No outdoor rule exists for the Council; for anyone else any notice of a lottery or bet is the s. 227 offence.12 |
Channel rules for Israel reflect each platform's published policy and the sources numbered in each row (listed under Methodology & sources). Verify with the local regulator and your ad-platform account manager before launching.
How Israel enforces against unlicensed operators
The prohibition is enforced through the criminal courts, not a regulator: court orders that block sites on a prosecutor's application, and Bank of Israel rules that stop card payments to prohibited gambling.
- In the year 1 May 2024 to 1 May 2025 the State Attorney's Cyber Department applied for 14 site-restriction orders under the 2017 Internet Site Law; all 14 were granted, 3 of them for gambling and lottery offences.
- A 2023 study of the Justice Ministry's order database counts 39 gambling applications to mid-2023, 36 of them granted; orders are amended as operators change address.
- Bank of Israel Directive 411 (version 30, October 2026), ss. 84-87, bars card acquirers from approving card-not-present charges suspected to be for gambling the Penal Law prohibits.
Licensed operators: ~2
As of 9 Nov 2026, approximately 2 operators hold an active licence in Israel. Size your entry against this base before committing capital.
Notable licensed operators
- Visit site
- Visit site
Winner (Council for the Regulation of Sports Betting)
winner.co.il
Traps operators hit in Israel
Specific operational risks that have caught new entrants in this market. Each item is country-specific. Generic gambling-ops issues (KYC, RG tools) are not included unless they have a local twist.
No licence exists to apply for
Organising a lottery, bet or prohibited game for Israeli players is an offence (Penal Law s. 225: up to 3 years' imprisonment), whatever licence you hold elsewhere. Only Mifal HaPais and the Sports Betting Council are exempt.
Card payments are blocked at the acquirer
Bank of Israel Directive 411 (ss. 84-87) bars acquirers from approving card-not-present charges suspected to be for prohibited gambling, and from contracting with foreign high-risk merchants without a legal opinion and measures to stop service where gambling is prohibited.
Sites are blocked by court order
A District Court judge may order access to a site restricted, or its removal where it is held in Israel, on a prosecutor's application (2017 Internet Site Law ss. 2-4).
Advertising is itself an offence
Printing or publishing a notice of a lottery or bet that is not permitted is an offence (Penal Law s. 227: up to one year), for affiliates and publishers too.
Sources7
Timeline: rules in force
- 7 Oct 2026
Directive 411, version 30
The Bank of Israel's card rules for gambling, ss. 84-87.
- 2021
Bank of Israel Strengthens Payment Blocking
The Bank of Israel introduces Procedure No. 411, strengthening restrictions on financial institutions processing payments for unlicensed gambling.
Source: 10
- 2017
Internet Site Law
Courts may order access to sites restricted on a prosecutor's application; s. 225 gambling is a listed offence.
- 9 Jun 2009
Card rule for gambling (Hes-166)
The Bank of Israel tells card companies not to approve card-not-present transactions suspected to be for prohibited gambling.
- 1977
Penal Law
Chapter 8, ss. 224-235, prohibits games, lotteries and bets, except what the Finance Minister permits (s. 231) and the Sports Betting Law.
- 1967
Sports Betting Regulation Law
The Council for the Regulation of Sports Betting is created and given sports betting (s. 1).
Operator myths vs reality in Israel
Common assumptions about gambling licensing that turn out to be wrong in practice.
- MythAn MGA or Curaçao licence lets us accept Israeli players.Reality
No. Organising a lottery, bet or prohibited game for Israeli players is an offence whatever licence you hold elsewhere (Penal Law s. 225).
Sources7
- MythA pending bill will open the market soon.
Markets that work like Israel
Compared on what our records hold for each country: whether online casino, betting, poker and lottery are licensed, state-run or banned, the licensing model, what the operator tax is levied on and its band, how most advertising channels are treated, and how foreign licences are treated. A point we hold for only one of the two countries counts for nothing.
- TunisiaAI overview
Online casino and poker banned; betting limited; lottery licensed; state monopoly; most ad channels restricted; foreign licences mostly banned.
- IcelandChecked
Online casino and poker banned; betting limited; lottery licensed; state monopoly; most ad channels restricted.
- SingaporeCheckedHong KongAI overview
Online casino and poker banned; betting limited; state monopoly; most ad channels restricted; foreign licences mostly banned.
- LuxembourgChecked
Online casino and poker banned; betting limited; state monopoly; most ad channels restricted.
Methodology & sources
The research behind our Israel coverage
Counted across every Israel page, not this page alone.
compiled 9 Nov 2026
11
official websites
regulators, legislatures, courts
56
pages cited
specific documents, not homepages
246
sourced data points
each traced to the instrument
Across every Israel page on this site: players, operators and the licence guide. The research report behind them cites official sources: the law, the regulator, the gazette, the courts and each platform’s own published advertising policy. Page sections not yet rewritten from the report may cite other sources.
The same research as a 61-page Israel report: every one of the 201 checklist questions, each answer cited to the instrument behind it.
Request the Israel reportOur Deep AI Scan took Israel through all 201 questions of our regulatory checklist, from 48 official documents, read on 9 Nov 2026. Our research team then traced every figure on this page to the document and sentence that states it. The full research report is due to go to our compliance team. Where a fact rests on a press report or a law-firm summary rather than an official document, the page says so.
Documents cited on this page
- 1Penal Law 5737-1977, consolidated text (he.wikisource.org, republisher)
- 2Sports Betting Regulation Law 5727-1967, consolidated text (he.wikisource.org, republisher)
- 3Sports Betting Regulation Law 5727-1967 (Knesset, original text)
- 4State Attorney's Office, Cyber Department: report under s. 15 of the 2017 Law (1 May 2024 - 1 May 2025)
- 5Israel Internet Association and Shamgar Center (Tel Aviv University): website blocking in Israel, July 2023
- 6Bank of Israel: Proper Banking Conduct Directive 411, version 30 (October 2026)
- 7Penal Law 5737-1977, ss. 224-235 (Knesset, original text)
- 8Bank of Israel: letter Hes-166 to credit-card companies, 9 June 2009
- 9Powers for the Prevention of Committing Offences through an Internet Site Law 5777-2017 (Knesset)
- 10Source
- 11Knesset: bills of the 25th Knesset on betting (OData)
- 12Bill to Regulate Legal Gambling in Israel 5783-2023 (private bill P/2462/25)
The 10 documents this page relies on most
- Sports Betting Regulation Law 5727-1967 (חוק להסדר ההימורים בספורט): s. 1 Board, 8 programmes, 8A work through another, 8A1 advertising, 8C payout shares, 8D marketing spend, 10A minors, 10B identification and AML, 10C officers, Second ScheduleLaw
- Sports Betting Regulation Law (Amendment No. 10) 5777-2017, SH 2612 p.464 (16 Mar 2017)Law
- Sports Betting Regulation Law (Amendment No. 15) 5783-2023, Sefer HaChukim 3081 p.650Law
- Sports Betting Regulation Law 5727-1967, SH 509 p.142 (original)Law
- Penal Law 5737-1977, Sefer HaChukim 5737 p.226 (original text, ch. 8 sign 12, ss. 224-235)Regulator
- Ministry of Finance, draft 'Notice of the grant of a permit to Mifal HaPais under the Penal Law 5737-1977' (הודעה על מתן היתר למפעל הפיס), with annexed permit text, published for public comment on 12 April 2022Regulator
- Sports Betting Regulation Law, consolidation on he.wikisource.org (republisher, lead only)Law
- Penal Law 5737-1977 (חוק העונשין), Chapter 8, Sub-chapter 12 'Prohibited games, lotteries and betting', ss. 224-235, and s. 61 (fine bands), s. 63Regulator
- Penal Law (Amendment No. 71) 5763-2002, Sefer HaChukim 5763 p.58Regulator
- Knesset Research and Information Centre, 'Participation in Mifal HaPais Chance draws by socio-economic cluster', 7 Nov 2022Regulator
48 documents in all. Request the full research report for every source, answer by answer.
Looking for the player guide?
For consumer-facing information about gambling in Israel (tax on winnings, where to play legally, self-exclusion options), see the Israel player guide.
Disclaimer. This page reflects the law as we understood it on 9 Nov 2026. Rules change: always check the current position with No single gambling regulator. Mifal HaPais (the national lottery) runs lotteries under a permit from the Minister of Finance (Penal Law s. 231(a)), supervised by the Ministry of Finance. The Council for the Regulation of Sports Betting (Toto / Winner) holds sports betting by statute (Sports Betting Regulation Law 5727-1967, s. 1); its 13 members are appointed by the Minister of Culture and Sport, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Welfare and Social Security. The Israel Police and the State Attorney enforce the prohibition.. We are not a legal adviser.