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Jurisdictions › Bangladesh › Overview

Bangladesh · Question 01 of 11

Overview: What kind of market is this?

Unfavourable · Confirmed · AI-generated · Back to full Bangladesh report →

Key section parameters

JurisdictionBangladesh (BD)
RegulatorRecorded in register
FavourabilityUnfavourable
ConfidenceConfirmed
Review statusAI-generated
Last collected18 Oct 2026

Summary answer

Bangladesh enacted the Gambling Prevention Act, 2026 (Act No. 98 of 2026), published in the Gazette Extraordinary on 1 July 2026 and effective immediately under section 1(2), repealing the Public Gambling Act, 1867 in full. The new Act is a comprehensive criminal prohibition regime rather than a lic…

Key headwinds & conditions

  • Total prohibition of private gambling under the Gambling Prevention Act, 2026 (which repealed the Public Gambling Act 1867) + Cyber Security Ordinance 2025 s.20
  • No licensing pathway of any kind
  • Punitive criminal enforcement (NCSA/CID/BTRC) and MFS account freezes
  • ~90% Muslim-majority OIC member — liberalisation politically near-impossible
  • Crypto fully banned; no legal payment rail

Full section analysis

Bangladesh enacted the Gambling Prevention Act, 2026 (Act No. 98 of 2026), published in the Gazette Extraordinary on 1 July 2026 and effective immediately under section 1(2), repealing the Public Gambling Act, 1867 in full. The new Act is a comprehensive criminal prohibition regime rather than a licensing framework, reaching physical gambling, online and remote gambling, online betting, bookmaking, match and spot-fixing, gambling advertising and promotion, and crypto-enabled gambling-money-flow conduct. There is no licensed operator class and no regulator administering an authorisation regime; the state's posture is prohibition backed by severe custodial and financial penalties, non-bailable offence classification, and a dedicated Cyber Tribunal. Parallel financial-sector enforcement through large-scale mobile-financial-service account freezes indicates the prohibition is being actively enforced rather than left as a legislative statement.