Play 971 has launched in the UAE, becoming the first fully licensed and regulated iGaming site in the market.
Play 971 launched earlier this week, stating on its website that it’s the maiden online gaming site to launch in the UAE with a licence from the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA). The regulator has not yet updated its site to add Play971 to its internet gaming or sports wagering licensees.
The site is operated by Coin Technology Projects LLC, which shares an address with The Game LLC, the business behind The UAE Lottery. That launched ticket sales a year ago today.
Whether the site going live marks its official launch is unclear. Sources close to the project suggested an official launch was planned in the first quarter of 2026.
Meanwhile two other brands which have been active for a number of years appear to be connected to Momentum. TrueWin.ae, live since 2023, also names Coin Technology Projects as its operator.
Meanwhile Dream Island, which says it will permanently close on 10 December 2025, is advising customers to register with TrueWin.ae.
Number of games linked to companies not yet listed on GCGRA site
Notably, a number of the games featured on Play 971’s homepage are from studios that don’t appear on the GCGRA’s list of licensees.
For instance, the slot games Wild Coyote Megaways, Lucky Lion and Juicy 7 are provided by the studio OneTouch, which is absent from the UAE regulator’s list of gaming-related vendor licensees.
In the live casino section, the Speed Dragon Tiger is supplied by Evolution, which again isn’t listed among the licensees.
Evolution has come under increasing fire of late due to its black market operations. The supplier is currently under investigation from the UK Gambling Commission, while it was also involved in a recent controversy with Playtech over its alleged black market activities.
Nearly half of UAE iGaming licences potentially awarded
The Play 971 site features sports betting, racing and online casino, and is operated by Coin Technology Projects LLC.
The UAE’s regulations allow for one licence per emirate, meaning there could be up to seven operators in the market.
In theory, the launch of Play 971, TrueWin.ae and Dream Island means three brands are already in operation, though the regulatory status of the latter two remain unclear with Play 971 the only brand to explicitly says its licensed by the GCGRA.
Personnel changes at the GCGRA
In November, it was announced CEO Kevin Mullally had left the GCGRA, with Jim Murren taking over in the interim.
Mullally had helped to establish the UAE’s regulatory frameworks and oversaw the launch of the UAE Lottery.
In its first year the UAE Lottery, which was the Emirates’ first licensed gambling company, awarded prizes of over AED147 million ($40 million) to more than 100,000 players.
Momentum building in the UAE
In October, Yolo Group announced it had secured two gaming-related vendor licences for the UAE market.
Yolo’s Hub88 Holdings and Online Gaming Service subsidiaries are permitted to supply iGaming content to the UAE’s regulated market.
Wynn Al-Marjan Island, the UAE’s largest gaming development, is also taking shape and is set to open in March 2027. Wynn Resorts has estimated the UAE gambling sector could be worth up to $5 billion at maturity.
First legal igaming site powered by UAE Lottery operator Momentum goes live.