BANGLADESH

Bangladesh is one of the most strictly banned officially, but at the same time actively developing in fact Tier 3 gambling markets in South Asia. The country has strict religious and state bans on any form of gambling, but online betting, slots, crash games and betting platforms through foreign sites form a stable shadow market.

The Bangladeshi market is characterized by a huge population density, the rapid growth of mobile Internet, the massive use of smartphones and the high popularity of cricket betting.

Online casinos in Bangladesh

Online casinos are officially banned in Bangladesh, but foreign platforms are in consistently high demand.

Total ban on national online casinos.
Massive use of offshore platforms.
High interest in slots and crash games.
Mobile traffic dominance.
No local licensing.

Online gambling is developing completely outside the legal field.

Land-based casinos and gaming halls

Land-based casinos and slot machines are completely banned in Bangladesh.

Complete ban on casinos and machines.
Lack of legal gaming halls.
Criminal liability for organization.
Tight police control.
Complete absence of tourist offline gambling.

Offline sector is absent in legal form.

Sports betting and betting

Sports betting is the most popular gambling destination in the country, despite the official ban.

• Cricket (overall leader).
• Football.
• Kabaddi.
• Tennis.
• Esports.

Cricket forms the bulk of all shadow bookmaking turnover.

Regulation and licences

Gambling regulation in Bangladesh belongs to one of the toughest models in the region.

Complete state ban on gambling.
No licenses for casinos and bookmakers.
Mass site blocking.
Control of bank transfers.
Criminal liability for participation.

Despite this, the online market continues to expand.

Payment methods

Bangladesh is actively developing mobile and alternative payment systems.

Bank cards.
Bank transfers.
Mobile wallets (bKash and analogues).
Electronic payments.
Growing use of cryptocurrencies.

Mobile wallets play a key role in shadow transactions.

Popular games and formats

• Cricket betting.
• Crash games.
• Video slots.
• Live sports betting.
• Fast arcade formats.

Short gaming sessions and instant results are the main market trend.

Mobile gambling

Bangladesh is an almost entirely mobile gambling market.

Absolute dominance of smartphones.
Growth of cheap mobile internet.
Games via mobile browsers.
Deposits through mobile wallets.
Young digital audience.

Mobile traffic forms almost the entire volume of online activity.

Advertising and responsible play

Gambling advertising is completely banned in Bangladesh.

A complete ban on any gambling advertising.
Internet censorship and domain blocking.
Use of hidden advertising channels.
Telegram, instant messengers and social networks.
Lack of government responsible play programs.

The market is developing in a complete advertising vacuum.

Why Bangladesh is a Tier 3 market

• a complete state ban on gambling;
• huge population density;
• cricket's cult popularity;
• mass mobile Internet;
• active shadow online segment.

Bangladesh is one of the most legally closed but demographically powerful Tier 3 gambling markets in South Asia. It is dominated by online cricket betting, crash games and slots via overseas platforms. For operators, this is a market of hidden high potential with extreme regulatory risks, for players - constant demand for fast, mobile and affordable gambling formats.