Pakistan Casinos

Gambling in Pakistan

Pakistan is a predominantly Muslim country that was created in 1947 by the division of India. This division largely separated India's Hindus from Muslims in what is now Pakistan. There are no legal casinos in Pakistan. Most gambling there is forbidden but enforcement is mostly focused on bookies rather than bettors. 

The 1977 Gambling Prevention Act was passed before the advent of the internet so it doesn't address modern gambling activities that occur in non-public places, such as at home or on a mobile device.

Horse Race Betting in Pakistan

Tote betting on horses was legalized in 1979 but the sport is reportedly extremely corrupt with races being thrown whenever it might benefit bookmakers, many of them connected to government officials. In 1990 South Asian betting syndicates lost leverage as bookies began to offer regular citizens betting opportunities in Pakistani rupees. The corruption continued until culminating in the 2010 Pakistan cricket spot-fixing scandal in which resulted in criminal convictions for 4 bookies.

Today legal racing is held at Lahore Race Club on the border with India and at Karachi Race Club near the Gulf of Oman.

Other Legal Gambling in Pakistan

Although there is no lottery in Pakistan, the Ministry of Finance offers Prize Bond drawings. Bonds issued include Savings Account, Pensioner’s Benefit Account, Special Savings Account, and Student Welfare Bonds among others. Prize results are offered online with multiple winners for second and third prizes. Bonds can be purchased for as little as 100PKR (US$0.95) which would return the first prize of about $665, or as much as 40,000PKR (US$380) with a grand prize of nearly three-quarters of a million dollars. This is the only way most Pakistanis will ever have a chance to get rich.