Israel

Israel maintains one of the most restrictive gambling regimes among developed economies, with a general criminal ban on betting and games of chance under the Penal Law 5737-1977. The sole legal sports betting is a state monopoly operated by the Israel Sports Betting Board (Council for the Regulation of Sports Betting, established 1967), which markets under the "Winner"/Toto brand and offers wagering only on football and basketball outcomes — classified regulated as a state monopoly, while all private and online sports betting, including offshore operators targeting Israeli residents, is illegal and actively blocked under the 2017 "Powers to Prevent Offences Through an Internet Site" law.

Horse-race betting was eliminated when the Ministry of Finance revoked the ISBB’s horse-race wagering permission effective January 2018, and there is no domestic racing industry or legal racetrack wagering (prohibited). As of 2025-2026 no liberalizing reforms (casinos or private/online licensing) have been enacted, and the ISBB monopoly is unchanged.

Prediction markets fall under the blanket prohibition (no carve-out). The minimum age for legal betting is 18.

Gambling in Israel is tightly regulated and mostly falls under the control of the government. Traditional land-based casinos are prohibited. The Israeli government hosts a national lottery that consists of a few games while another government entity offers a limited form of sports betting in Israel.

Israeli betting sites are officially outlawed as well. Online gambling sites in Israel may not operate from within the country and offer their services to Israeli bettors. Of course, there are plenty of betting websites located in other countries that are happy to take Israelis despite the government’s anti-gambling stance. Some sites even offer their services in Hebrew.

Israel Betting Sites

An offshore site that accepts Israeli customers is not a lawful alternative to Winner: online gambling services are prohibited under Israeli law, except for online betting services offered by the ISBB, and the Bank of Israel has placed a prohibition on Israeli financial institutions transmitting funds related to gambling activities.

Does Israel Censor or Block Internet Betting Sites?

Israeli courts can order internet service providers to block access to offshore betting websites under a 2017 law, and ISP blocking has been in place since 2018.

Israel Sports Betting

The only form of sports betting legal in Israel is what is authorized by the Israel Sports Betting Board. The Winner brand is the only legal online sports betting operation in the nation and offers regular wagers on football and basketball.

Winner also operates an online sportsbook. At present, its offerings are limited to football and basketball betting, as horse-race betting was discontinued in 2018. The selection is somewhat limited and the odds aren’t always the best, but many seem to like Winner nonetheless due to its support of the Hebrew language and simple deposit methods. Proceeds from Winner are devoted to charitable causes with an emphasis on sports.

Website: www.winner.co.il

Israeli Gambling Laws Explained

Israel does not have gambling-specific legislation like most other countries. The entire basis for the ban on most forms of gambling can be found in Israeli Penal Law 5737 – 1977 (see page 73 here). The law doesn’t just ban the organization of gambling, it also prohibits the act of participating. Anyone caught playing in a prohibited game may be imprisoned for up to a year.

There are only two forms of gambling that may take place in Israel: the Mifal HaPais national lottery and state-sponsored sports betting.

There was considerable confusion on the status of online gambling up until 2005. The laws on the books didn’t specifically mention the internet but they could also be interpreted to include online betting. In 2005, the Attorney General made it clear when he issued a ruling that all Israel gambling sites were illegal and ordered them to cease operations. The Attorney General also ordered banking institutions to stop processing financial transactions to and from online betting sites.

Blocking followed, on a statutory footing. Israel had successfully implemented ISP blocking of gambling websites operating from outside the country in 2018, and under the 2017 law district court judges may issue warrants ordering ISPs to block access to illegal gambling websites.