# Licensed Lottery and Gaming Platforms in the UAE (2026) Source: https://kredit.ae/blog/licensed-lottery-gaming-platforms-uae The UAE Lottery, Big Ticket, Dubai Duty Free and Play971: who holds a GCGRA licence, what each costs, how the draws work and the minimum age for each. Category: Guidance Published: 2026-10-08T00:00:00.000Z Author: Kredit > 18+ only (21+ for online casino and sports betting). Draws are random — never spend more than you can afford to lose. For most of the past three decades, the UAE's legal prize draws lived at its airports. Big Ticket began in 1992 as a small raffle at Abu Dhabi International Airport, and Dubai Duty Free has run its own airport draws over a similar period. There was no national lottery, no licensed online betting and no single federal regulator. That changed in under three years. In September 2023 the UAE set up the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) in Abu Dhabi, the first single regulator for gaming nationwide. It covers four areas: lotteries, online gaming, sports betting and physical casinos. The first licence went out in July 2024, to The Game LLC, which runs The UAE Lottery. That December the regulator confirmed the shape of the lottery market: one national lottery, with Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free allowed to keep running their airport draws and every other lottery required to close. Since then, one company has been licensed for online casino and sports betting (it runs Play971), and Wynn Al Marjan has been licensed for a land-based casino. The result is a deliberately small market. If you want to play legally in the UAE today, there are four places to do it: - **one national lottery**, The UAE Lottery; - **two long-running airport raffles**, Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free; - **one online sportsbook and casino**, Play971. Any other site offering UAE residents a lottery ticket, a bet or a casino game is unlicensed, and the GCGRA has made clear that using one is illegal for players too. Its [list of licensees](https://www.gcgra.gov.ae/en/licensing/our-licensees/) is the quickest way to check. ## The four platforms at a glance | Platform | Status | Run by | What it sells | Entry price | Draws | Minimum age | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The UAE Lottery | Licensed national lottery | The Game LLC | Lucky Day draw, plus scratch cards, e-instants and quick-draw games | AED 50 per Lucky Day entry | Wednesday and Saturday, 9:30pm | 18 | | Big Ticket Abu Dhabi | Authorised airport raffle | Big Ticket LLC | Monthly cash raffle, monthly Dream Car raffle | AED 500 (cash) · AED 150 (Dream Car) | 3rd of every month, 7:30pm | 18 | | Dubai Duty Free | Authorised airport raffle | Dubai Duty Free | Millennium Millionaire, Finest Surprise car and motorbike draws | AED 1,000 (Millennium Millionaire) · AED 500 (car) · AED 100 (motorbike) | Per series, once sold | 18 | | Play971 | Licensed online casino and sportsbook | Coin Technology Projects LLC | Sports and racing betting, online casino, live casino | Set per game or market | Continuous | 21 | Prices, draw times and prizes as listed on each operator's site on 7 October 2026. ## Licensed or authorised: what's the difference? The UAE Lottery and Play971 were licensed by the GCGRA. Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free were not; their draws were already running when the regulator was created, and the law lets them carry on under its supervision. The GCGRA confirmed this in its [December 2024 notice](https://www.gcgra.gov.ae/en/news/press-releases/december-2024-press-release-gcgra-issues-warning-against-unlicensed-lottery-and-gaming-operators/), which named the two airport draws as the only ones allowed to continue. In practice, all three are legal ways to buy a ticket. Only The UAE Lottery is the national lottery. ## The UAE Lottery *GCGRA licensed lottery operator — The Game LLC.* The UAE Lottery is the country's only licensed lottery. Its main game is Lucky Day. **How Lucky Day works.** Each entry costs AED 50. You pick six numbers from 1 to 31 (the "Days") and one number from 1 to 12 (the "Month"). Live draws take place every Wednesday and Saturday at 9:30pm UAE time. Sales for a draw stop at 8:00pm on draw night and reopen for the next draw once it finishes. **Prizes and odds.** You win by matching your numbers to the ones drawn. How many Days numbers you match, and whether you also match the Month, decides the prize. From the [Lucky Day rules](https://www.theuaelottery.ae/how-to-play?key=How-to-Play): | Prize | Numbers you need to match | Prize amount | Odds | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Jackpot | All 6 Days numbers and the Month number | AED 30,000,000 (shared between winners) | 1 in 8,835,372 | | 2nd | All 6 Days numbers | AED 5,000,000 (shared between winners) | 1 in 803,216 | | 3rd | 5 Days numbers and the Month number | AED 100,000 | 1 in 58,902 | | 4th | 5 Days numbers, or 4 Days numbers and the Month number | AED 1,000 | 1 in 1,437 | | 5th | The Month number, with up to 3 Days numbers | AED 100 | 1 in 12.1 | Every entry also gets a Lucky Chance ID for a side draw with three prizes of AED 50,000. The lottery says it pays out 42.62% of ticket sales as prizes, plus the Lucky Chance prizes. In other words, less than half of what players spend comes back as winnings. You can spend up to AED 5,000 in a single order. The site also has scratch cards, e-instants, and the Pick 3, Pick 4, Quick 5 and Color Prediction games. **Official website:** [theuaelottery.ae](https://www.theuaelottery.ae/) ## Big Ticket Abu Dhabi *Pre-existing airport lottery/raffle authorised to continue under GCGRA supervision.* Big Ticket has run since 1992, when it started as a raffle at Abu Dhabi International Airport. You can buy tickets online or at its counters. **Monthly cash draw.** Tickets cost AED 500 each. The draw takes place at 7:30pm on the 3rd of every month and is streamed live. Tickets for each draw go on sale a month ahead and close online at 11:45pm on the last day of the month before. The grand prize changes each time. Series 292, drawn on 3 November 2026, carries a grand prize of AED 25,000,000. **Dream Car draw.** Tickets cost AED 150, and each series has one advertised car as its prize. Car draws also take place on the 3rd of the month at 7:30pm. Each sales window runs for two months, so tickets for two car series are on sale at once. **Odds.** There's no limit on how many tickets are sold, so the odds depend on how many people enter. Big Ticket's [draw rules](https://www.bigticket.ae/draw-rules-and-procedures) say they can't be fixed in advance. **Claiming a prize.** Grand prize winners collect a cheque in person at Big Ticket's Abu Dhabi office. Smaller cash prizes are paid into the winner's bank account. You have 180 days to claim. **Official website:** [bigticket.ae](https://www.bigticket.ae/) ## Dubai Duty Free *Pre-existing airport lottery/raffle authorised to continue under GCGRA supervision.* Dubai Duty Free's draws run under the "Win with DDF" name. Tickets are sold on its website. UAE residents can also buy them at the Aviation Club Pro Shop in Al Garhoud and at selected Dubai Duty Free shops in airport Arrivals and Departures. The draws take place at Dubai International Airport. **Millennium Millionaire.** Each series is limited to 5,000 tickets at AED 1,000 each, with a single prize of US$1 million. Once a series sells out, each ticket has a 1 in 5,000 chance. Dubai Duty Free then sets the draw date and emails ticket holders a few days before. Winners who live abroad are paid by bank transfer. **Finest Surprise.** Each series has one luxury car or motorbike as its prize. Car series have 2,000 tickets at AED 500 each, and motorbike series 1,200 tickets at AED 100 each. They're drawn the same way as Millennium Millionaire. Tickets can't be refunded or changed once bought. **Official website:** [Millennium Millionaire](https://www.dubaidutyfree.com/millennium-millionaire/category/MM) · [Finest Surprise cars](https://www.dubaidutyfree.com/buy-finest-surprise-car/category/Car) · [Finest Surprise motorbikes](https://www.dubaidutyfree.com/buy-finest-surprise-bike/category/Bike) ## Play971 > 21+ only. Gambling involves risk. Play971 decides who can play and from where, including identity and location checks. *Operated by Coin Technology Projects LLC, listed by the GCGRA for Internet Gaming and Sports Wagering.* Play971 is the UAE's only licensed online casino and sportsbook. It offers sports and racing betting, plus online and live-dealer casino games. You must be 21 or over to sign up, and your device's location has to be switched on so Play971 can confirm you're somewhere play is allowed. Sign-up, ID checks, deposits and withdrawals all happen on Play971's own site, which also has player controls and responsible-gaming tools. **Official website:** [play971.ae](https://www.play971.ae/) ## How to spot an unlicensed site - **Check the list.** The company behind the site should be on the [GCGRA list of licensees](https://www.gcgra.gov.ae/en/licensing/our-licensees/). The two airport draws covered above are the only exceptions. - **Check the footer.** Licensed operators state their GCGRA licence at the bottom of their pages. - **Check the address.** Type it in yourself instead of tapping links in messages, and be wary of any message saying you've won a prize. Unlicensed sites can take your money, misuse your personal data, or leave you caught up in an investigation. You can report one to the GCGRA through its complaints form. ## Playing responsibly Lottery and raffle draws are random. Past results do not make any number more or less likely to come up. Treat any ticket as entertainment with a fixed budget, not as income or a way out of a financial problem. Licensed operators must offer tools to help you stay in control, such as deposit limits, time and spending tools, and the option to exclude yourself. The UAE Lottery's [Play Responsibly](https://www.theuaelottery.ae/play-responsibly) page has a self-assessment, player controls and a link to Takalam support. The GCGRA explains what operators must provide in its [responsible gaming guidance](https://www.gcgra.gov.ae/en/responsible-gaming/how-to-comply-with-responsible-gaming/). ## Frequently asked questions ### Is there a legal lottery in the UAE? Yes. The UAE Lottery is the only licensed lottery. Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free's airport draws are also allowed to operate. ### Is Big Ticket legal in the UAE? Yes. The GCGRA allows Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free to keep running their long-standing airport draws under its supervision. ### Is Play971 licensed? Yes. Its operator, Coin Technology Projects LLC, is licensed by the GCGRA for online gaming and sports betting. You must be 21 or over and in a location where play is allowed. ### What is the minimum age to play? 18 for The UAE Lottery, Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free. 21 for Play971. ### Can I buy tickets without living in the UAE? Dubai Duty Free sells tickets online and pays overseas winners by bank transfer. Big Ticket only lets you buy from a country where taking part is legal for you. The UAE Lottery and Play971 block sign-ups from restricted countries. ### Are offshore betting and lottery sites legal for UAE residents? No. Only GCGRA-approved operators may offer gaming in the UAE, and using an unlicensed one is illegal.