Israel gambling licence: no online licence
This guide is for a game studio, platform or other vendor that wants its product in front of players in Israel. There is nothing to apply for: the market belongs to two state bodies, and a supplier's way in is a contract with one of them.
- 1Check the marketOnly Mifal HaPais and the Sports Betting Council may run gambling. There is no licence to apply for.No licence
- 2Find the tenderMifal HaPais buys through public tenders and keeps a suppliers database.Public tender
- 3Pass the vettingThe Council's anti-money-laundering officer checks the company and its office-holders.s. 8A(a1)
- 4Sign the agreementA written agreement with the Council lasts at most two years at a time.2 years max
- 5Build to the operator's specificationNo statute sets a technical standard, certification or server location.No standard
- A tender to bid in, from Mifal HaPais or the Sports Betting Council
- The documents each tender sets
- No conviction or pending indictment that makes the company or its office-holders unfit
- Clearance by the police on public-safety grounds, if the Council asks
- A written agreement for at most two years
This guide covers getting licensed. For running the business, tax, advertising, bonus rules, payments and enforcement, see the Israel operator overview; for whether it is legal and safe to play, the Israel player guide.
Why no private operator can be licensed
Organising or conducting a prohibited game, lottery or bet is an offence (Penal Law s. 225: up to 3 years). The Minister of Finance may permit lotteries, and non-sports bets run by Mifal HaPais; sports betting belongs to the Sports Betting Council by statute. No other permit or licence exists.
| Product | Who may offer it | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Sports betting | The Sports Betting Council only (Winner), online on winner.co.il; programmes set by regulation | Sports Betting Law ss. 1, 8 |
| Lottery | Mifal HaPais under its permit, May 2022 to 31 December 2026; the Knesset Research Centre says the permit bars sale on the Internet | Penal Law s. 231(a) |
| Online casino, live casino, slots and poker | No one: a game where the outcome depends more on chance than on understanding or ability is a prohibited game | Penal Law ss. 224-225 |
| Promotional prize draws | Businesses, under the Finance Minister's general permit, if no payment is charged to take part | Penal Law s. 231(a)(1) |
- A licence from another jurisdiction does not help: organising a lottery, bet or prohibited game for Israeli players is an offence whatever licence the operator holds elsewhere.
- Offshore sites still reach Israeli players, in Hebrew and on mirror domains. Courts restrict access to them on a prosecutor's application: in the year to 1 May 2025 the State Attorney's Cyber Department applied for 14 orders, all granted, 3 of them for gambling and lottery offences.
- Bank of Israel Directive 411 (ss. 84-87) bars card acquirers from approving card-not-present charges suspected to be for prohibited gambling, as the 2009 letter Hes-166 told card companies.
- No government bill to open the market exists. The Bill to Regulate Legal Gambling in Israel (P/2462/25), a private member's bill, has not passed a preliminary reading.
Laws that apply
- Penal Law 5737-1977, ch. 8, ss. 224-235: prohibited games, lotteries and bets; s. 231 exempts what the Minister of Finance permits in advance
- Sports Betting Regulation Law 5727-1967: the Council for the Regulation of Sports Betting and its betting programmes; Amendment No. 15 (2023) added the responsible-gaming principle
- Powers for the Prevention of Committing Offences through an Internet Site Law 5777-2017: court orders restricting access to sites
- Income Tax Ordinance [New Version]: winnings taxed at 35% (s. 124B), withheld by the payer (s. 164)
- Mandatory Tenders Law 5752-1992: Mifal HaPais has applied it to its purchasing since November 2011
- Bank of Israel Proper Banking Conduct Directive 411, version 30 (October 2026), ss. 84-87: card rules for gambling
Supplying the two state operators
No supplier role (game studio, platform, hosting, payment, identity or data vendor, affiliate) has a licence, registration or approval class. A supplier enters by contract.
- The Sports Betting Council may have the work of a betting programme done by another under a written agreement of at most two years at a time (s. 8A(a)).
- The Council may not contract with a person, a company or its office-holder whom its anti-money-laundering officer finds unfit for a conviction or a pending indictment; a police officer authorised by the Inspector General may bar a contract on public-safety grounds (s. 8A(a1)-(a2)).
- Mifal HaPais buys through public tenders under the Mandatory Tenders Law and keeps a suppliers database on its procurement page.
- No technical standard, laboratory certification or server location is set by statute for either operator.
Tax
Israel has no gambling tax on operators. The tax is on winnings: 35% on each win, withheld by the payer (Income Tax Ordinance ss. 124B, 164).
- For tax year 2025 a win up to NIS 33,840 is exempt, and above NIS 67,680 the whole win is taxed.
- Companies pay corporate tax at 23% (s. 126(a)).
- The Sports Betting Council pays the State its positive balance of income (Sports Law s. 9(a1)) and must pay winners at least 60% of its turnover (s. 8C(d)).
What a gambling licence in Israel costs
| Cost | Amount | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Operator licence | Not available | The Penal Law exempts only Mifal HaPais and the Sports Betting Council |
| Supplier licence | None | No supplier class exists; entry is by contract |
| Gambling tax on operators | None | Winnings are taxed at 35%, withheld by the payer |
Route: supplying Mifal HaPais or the Sports Betting Council
For a game studio, platform or other vendor. There is no licence to apply for.
- 01
Check the market
Penal Law ss. 225, 231 · Sports Law s. 1
Only Mifal HaPais and the Sports Betting Council may run gambling. A private operator licence does not exist.
- 02
Find the tender
Mandatory Tenders Law 5752-1992
Mifal HaPais publishes its tenders and a suppliers database on its procurement page; the documents required are set in each tender.
- 03
Pass the Council's vetting
Sports Law s. 8A(a1)-(a2)
Its anti-money-laundering officer checks the company and its office-holders for convictions and pending indictments; the police may bar the contract.
- 04
Sign a written agreement
Sports Law s. 8A(a)
At most two years at a time; a new agreement renews it.
Source ledger
The research behind our Israel coverage
Counted across every Israel page, not this page alone.
compiled 9 Nov 2026
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 reportTier-ordered: official government first, then practitioner, then trade media. Every primary figure was read from the in-force text on 9 Nov 2026.
- Official: government
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- Practitioner: law firms
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Informational research product, not legal advice. Figures were verified to the Penal Law, the Sports Betting Regulation Law, the 2017 Internet Site Law, the Income Tax Ordinance and the Bank of Israel's Directive 411 as of 9 November 2026: no private operator licence, winnings taxed at 35%, and supplier contracts with the Sports Betting Council of at most two years.