Is online gambling legal in Mauritania?

Online gambling is not legal here. Playing on offshore sites can get you into legal trouble.

Online sports betting is banned in Mauritania. Online casino is banned in Mauritania. Online poker is banned in Mauritania. The lottery is banned in Mauritania.

Using a VPN to reach gambling sites from Mauritania: Permitted for general use, but using a VPN to access illegal services like online gambling is prohibited.

Gambling with crypto: Banned.

We have no record of a minimum gambling age in Mauritania.

Sharia-based prohibition; severe penalties under the 1983 Penal Code.

No operator holds an active online licence in Mauritania as of 2 Jun 2026.

No national licence for online gambling exists here, so a site taking deposits from players in Mauritania is not licensed locally, whatever licence it shows from elsewhere.

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  Assume any operator claiming to be legal is fraudulent

  No gambling operator holds a licence from Mauritania because no licensing system exists. Any website claiming to be a 'legal Mauritanian casino' is misrepresenting its status.

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  Understand the personal legal risk of playing

  Participating in any form of gambling is a criminal offense under the 1983 Penal Code. Players risk legal penalties, including fines and potential imprisonment, if prosecuted.

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  Recognize there is no player protection or recourse

  Because the activity is illegal, there is no government body to assist with disputes over withheld winnings, unfair games, or account closures. Players have no legal recourse against offshore operators.

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  Be cautious with payments

  Using direct bank transfers for illegal gambling transactions can expose you to scrutiny from financial institutions and authorities. No other payment method makes the activity legal.

What the rules mean for bonus offers you see in Mauritania. The rules operators must follow are on the operator page.

We have no record of a national self-exclusion scheme or problem-gambling helpline in Mauritania. The law does not require licensed sites to offer deposit limits. Reality checks (reminders of how long you have played) are not required.

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   1. No Official Path Exists

   As all gambling is illegal, Mauritania has no regulatory body, official ADR provider, or consumer protection agency to handle player complaints against operators. There is no formal dispute resolution process.

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   2. Legal Action Is Not an Option

   Attempting to sue an illegal offshore operator through Mauritanian courts is not a viable option. Doing so would require the player to admit to participating in a criminal activity, which exposes them to prosecution under the Penal Code.

• Myth

  Online gambling is a legal grey area in Mauritania.
  Reality

  This is false. All forms of gambling, including online, are strictly illegal. The 1983 Penal Code's broad prohibition on games of chance is applied to internet-based gambling, and there is no ambiguity in the law.

• Myth

  Using a VPN makes online gambling safe and legal.
  Reality

  While a VPN can bypass government-imposed website blocks, it does not make the act of gambling legal. Using technology to commit a prohibited act is still against the law and carries the risk of prosecution under the Penal Code.

• Myth

  There are no penalties for players, only for operators.
  Reality

  The law prohibits participation in games of chance. While enforcement may focus on organizers, individual players are also committing a criminal offense and can face penalties, including fines and imprisonment, if caught.