UAE’s Regulated iGaming Market Expands as Fanatics Joins Momentum Group

The United Arab Emirates’ regulated gaming market has moved into a more active commercial phase after Fanatics and Momentum Group formed a strategic joint venture covering lottery, iGaming, sportsbook and gaming content operations.

The agreement brings one of the largest US sports and betting groups into the Gulf’s emerging licensed gaming sector. It also places the UAE’s commercial gaming framework under a brighter global spotlight, with online wagering, digital casino products, lottery operations, advertising rules and resort casino development now advancing within the same regulatory structure.

Fanatics and Momentum Form a UAE Gaming Joint Venture

Fanatics and Momentum Group announced their UAE joint venture on June 29, 2026. The new structure will operate and grow Momentum’s existing licensed commercial gaming activities in the country, including lottery, iGaming, sportsbook and content websites. The General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority approved the change in control of Momentum’s licensed entities.

The deal gives Fanatics a direct route into a regulated gaming market outside the United States. The company already operates across sports merchandise, collectibles, fan commerce, sportsbook and iGaming in the US. In the UAE, that ecosystem enters a market being built through federal licensing rather than offshore access.

Momentum brings the local regulatory base. Fanatics adds product development, technology infrastructure and sports-led customer experience. The partnership connects a global sports platform with a Gulf market that is moving from early licensing into operational scale.

Civil Code Change Strengthens the Legal Ground

The Fanatics–Momentum deal followed a major legal milestone in the UAE. Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025, which introduced the new Civil Transactions Law, became effective on June 1, 2026, according to the UAE legislation portal.

The new civil code removed the former gambling and betting provisions that had existed under the previous Civil Transactions Law. Legal analysis of the change noted that the old provisions had covered invalidity, restitution and recoverability of gambling-related losses, while the new code leaves commercial gaming to the specialised regulatory framework led by the GCGRA.

The legal change arrived during a wider sequence of market developments. Play971 had already gone live as the UAE’s first licensed digital iGaming platform in late 2025, before Google opened a certified advertising route for GCGRA-authorised gaming operators in March 2026. Ciarán Carruthers then became GCGRA chief executive on June 9, followed by the Fanatics–Momentum joint venture announcement on June 29. Together, these steps show how the UAE’s commercial gaming market moved from early licensing into a more active operational phase.

GCGRA Controls the Licensed Market

The UAE’s gaming market is overseen by the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority. The regulator describes itself as the federal executive agency responsible for regulating and overseeing commercial gaming in the UAE, with authority over licensing, supervision and enforcement.

Its framework covers lottery, internet gaming, sports wagering and land-based gaming facilities. The regulator also states that only businesses and individuals holding a valid GCGRA licence are authorised to do business in commercial gaming within the UAE. This applies to operators, employees, individuals engaged in gaming activity and third parties providing related products or services.

That structure separates the UAE from offshore gambling models. The market is being built around licensed operators, approved vendors, controlled consumer access, responsible gaming requirements and regulatory oversight.

Licensed Operators Show the Market’s Shape

The GCGRA’s public licensee list shows how the new system is being built across several layers. The Game LLC is listed as the operator of the UAE Lottery. Coin Technology Projects LLC is listed under internet gaming and sports wagering. Wynn Al Marjan appears under land-based gaming facilities.

The same list also shows the supplier base forming around the licensed market. GeoComply and Xpoint represent compliance and geolocation infrastructure. Sportradar brings sports data capability. IGT, Games Global and Endorphina sit closer to content, platform and game delivery.

The supplier mix points to a structured gaming stack rather than a simple operator-led rollout. Geolocation, sports data, game content, lottery technology, casino systems and compliance tools are all being placed inside the approved ecosystem.

Play971 Became the Digital Test Case

Play971 became the clearest early example of the UAE’s online gaming rollout. The platform launched in November 2025 as the first licensed and regulated iGaming site in the country, with availability initially reported in Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah.

The first phase gave the UAE a working digital iGaming platform before the broader 2026 legal and commercial milestones arrived. The operator behind Play971 later appeared on the GCGRA’s official licensee list under both internet gaming and sports wagering.

In June 2026, Play971 expanded the digital market further by launching online sports betting in the UAE. Gaming Intelligence reported that the brand became the first licensed operator to launch online sports betting in the country.

The phased rollout created a structured path for the digital market. A licensed iGaming platform came first, followed by the new civil code environment, a more visible sports wagering product and then the Fanatics–Momentum joint venture.

Google Ads Opens a Certified Marketing Route

The commercial development of the UAE market also moved through advertising policy. Google updated its Gambling and Games Policy for the UAE, with the change taking effect on March 10, 2026. Under the update, entities authorised by the GCGRA can apply for certification to advertise internet gaming and sports wagering services in the UAE.

The permitted product categories include lotteries, internet gaming and sports wagering. Google’s policy states that the operator must be a GCGRA-licensed entity and that advertisers must apply for certification.

For licensed operators, the policy creates a formal digital acquisition channel. Licensing determines who can operate. Advertising certification determines how authorised brands can reach users through one of the world’s largest digital ad platforms.

Wynn Al Marjan Adds the Resort Casino Dimension

The UAE’s commercial gaming strategy is not limited to online wagering and iGaming. Wynn Al Marjan anchors the land-based casino and integrated resort side of the market. The project appears on the GCGRA licensee list under land-based gaming facilities.

That gives the UAE a two-track structure. Play971 and the Fanatics–Momentum venture represent the digital side through internet gaming and sports wagering. Wynn Al Marjan represents destination gaming linked to luxury hospitality, tourism and integrated resort development.

The combination places the UAE closer to regulated gaming markets where online products, lottery operations, sports wagering and resort casino development sit under a single national framework.

GCGRA Leadership Changes During Expansion

The regulator also changed leadership during this period. On June 9, 2026, the GCGRA appointed Ciarán Carruthers as chief executive officer. Carruthers joined after senior roles in major casino and integrated resort markets, including Crown Resorts and Wynn Macau.

The appointment came as the UAE moved beyond early licensing. Lottery operations, internet gaming, sports wagering, advertising certification, vendor licensing and resort casino development are now developing at the same time.

UAE Becomes a New Global Gaming Test Case

The UAE has become one of the most closely watched new regulated gaming markets in the world. Its model combines a federal regulator, named licensees, approved suppliers, online gaming, sports wagering, lottery operations and land-based resort casino development.

Fanatics’ entry gives the market a higher international profile. Momentum provides the local licensed platform. Play971 shows how digital gaming can operate inside the system. Wynn Al Marjan anchors the land-based resort side.

The result is a controlled commercial gaming market with several active layers. The UAE now has a federal regulator, a revised civil-law environment, licensed digital gaming, legal sports wagering, certified advertising access, approved vendors and a major integrated resort project in development.

For the global betting and online casino industry, the UAE has moved from speculation to implementation. The Fanatics–Momentum joint venture marks one of the strongest signs yet that the Gulf’s licensed gaming market is becoming an organised commercial sector built around regulation, technology, responsible gaming and controlled market access.