A ban against online gambling, sports betting and digital gambling networks has officially come into effect in Bangladesh with the enactment of the Gambling Prevention Act, 2026.
According to the country’s state news agency, BSS News, the new law came into effect on 1 July, following its publication in the official gazette and receipt of the President’s assent. It replaces the Public Gambling Act, 1867.
The legislation introduces legal definitions for online gambling, sports betting, virtual casinos, VPN-enabled gambling, cryptocurrency transactions, match-fixing and other digital gambling-related offences in Bangladesh, as well as punishment for those who offend.
Courts now have the power to confiscate bank accounts, mobile financial service (MFS) accounts, digital wallets, crypto assets, servers, domains, SIM cards, mobile phones, computers, devices, and other assets used in or derived from gambling.
The new act looks to plug gaps that were left as a result of the previous legislation and enabled the surge of the unlicensed gambling sector. It has been spearheaded by the current Bangladesh Home Ministry, particularly by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed.
Ahmed previously emphasised that the update to the law and a zero-tolerance approach were crucial in “saving the youth from destruction”.
Gambling advertisements, sponsorships and affiliate marketing are also now criminalised in Bangladesh, while authorities can freeze and confiscate bank accounts, digital wallets, crypto assets, servers and other properties linked to gambling operations.
The country’s government will tap into artificial intelligence, deep packet inspection, transaction monitoring systems, and data analytics to detect and prevent online gambling.
A national digital blacklist database, NID-SIM-MFS linking system, biometric verification, and facial recognition-based verification will also be introduced in Bangladesh.
Organised gambling or money laundering offences via fake SIMs, fraudulent MFS accounts, or cryptocurrency are now punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of up to BDT50m (approximately €355,000).
The operation of an online gambling platform can result in an up to seven-year prison sentence and a BDT50m fine, while online gambling offences can result in a five-year imprisonment or a BDT1m fine. For conventional gambling offences, punishments can be up to two years imprisonment, a BDT200,000 fine or both.
All offences under the act are cognisable, non-bailable and non-compoundable, with Cyber Tribunals being responsible for cyber-related cases.
Bangladesh’s Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, Bangladesh Bank, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, the Election Commission, the Criminal Investigation Department, the National Cyber Security Agency, and other relevant ministries and agencies will be responsible for implementing the law.
