KUWAIT CITY, Aug 5: A total of seven Western and Arab websites are competing to attract citizens and residents of Kuwait to enter the world of betting and electronic gambling. Despite its risks, it is very popular with gambling lovers, away from the control of the concerned authorities, reports Al-Qabas daily. Information was received about the presence of brokers’ offices in Hawally area to receive the cash from the proceeds of electronic gambling. Contacts were established with people who run these sites, and act as delegates for those in charge of them.

The seven gambling sites monitored by the daily are working to promote themselves among those looking for electronic pleasure in gambling, and achieving financial profits. They lure such people by giving them financial rewards for the initial deposit of up to USD 500, which doubles as the volume of financial deposits in one game increases.

These sites broadcast from several countries, most notably India and Greece. Some of these centers set a minimum gambling limit of USD 10 and a higher limit of USD 3,000, provided that bets are made on each reward for a financial deposit 35 times per month. All sites allow electronic financial payment through six services either through banks or electronic financial cards and even digital currencies.

They call on gamblers in Kuwait to verify the licenses of any site through the existence of the license from accredited bodies, such as the Malta Games Authority, the UK Gambling Commission, and “Curacao”, with the aim of preserving the gamblers’ money. Betting and gambling sites targeting Kuwait provide games from software providers in the world of gambling such as “Microgaming”, “PlayTech”, “Evolution Gaming”, which provide various services to players, starting with high graphics. The most popular electronic gambling games targeting individuals in the country are slots, table games such as poker, blackjack, in addition to online roulette, which is considered one of the most popular gambling games due to its ease of play.

Individuals also play games locally using their mobile phones or through live broadcasts in secret rooms within the sites. Real money is earned and transferred to the person’s bank account, electronic financial card, or in the form of digital currencies or money transfer services. It depends on the financial transfer on an electronic bank, in addition to a British platform. Head of the Kuwait Society for Information Security Dr. Safaa Zaman affirmed that the gambling websites are illegal in Kuwait and are not subject to the concerned state authorities. She explained that participation in these sites takes place by paying financial electronic links, or by transferring from Anydesk application and other various methods.

The “gambling” process is a fraud in itself, and many of its victims are defrauded in several ways. The Kuwait Society for Information Security has multiple roles in this regard, the most important of which is the educational role. It also works by searching and investigating accounts and websites and sending them to the Anti-Cybercrime Department, and reporting every account that calls for vice. The matter requires organization and cooperation between the various state institutions, and the establishment of a special department that searches for those vice sites and accounts, which have been invading the youth, in addition to pursuing the vice brokers who are in Kuwait, and there are unfortunately many of them.

Dr. Zaman criticized the flaws in legislation, which is the main reason for persisting electronic fraud and spreading of vice through websites, indicating that awareness is very important, and there must be cooperation between the various state institutions. She warned that some of those in charge of these suspicious sites contact children and adolescents through games, and succeed in winning and attracting them through these games, adding that the advertising that appears to young people in games lures them with profits and money, in addition to gambling rooms that appear in the form of electronic games. Meanwhile, an Indian website reported that there are ten gambling websites in Kuwait, out of which only two are down while the remaining eight are operating freely and safely.

Indian website
When the daily tested the sites that were reported by the Indian website - www. outlookindia.com with the aim of seeing whether they were working or faced by a “block”, it realized that two of the ten sites were monitored as being closed in Kuwait. While the names of the available sites were reserved, pending action against them from the concerned authorities, the website claimed that it had compiled what it considered the “best casinos” on the Internet in Kuwait that offer gambling experiences with all “safety”. I

t highlighted that it offers wide options for electronic payment such as credit cards, electronic wallets and electronic transfers. The site explained that it had carefully compiled this list of online casinos in Kuwait. They had been selected based on its “reputation”, licensing, diversity of gambling games, user experiences and customer support. One of those casinos operates under a license issued by the Caribbean state of Curaçao, which means that Kuwaiti residents can play gambling games on it, as well as make sports bets in a “safe” manner.

There are gambling websites that operate with licenses issued by several countries. Most of these websites operate with advanced and safe security and technological measures. Some of them provide specialized teams to support customers in case they encounter difficulties. It stated that, “Some of these websites were able to pass all security barriers successfully in Kuwait, and use advanced encryption techniques to protect personal information and advanced security reserves.” The website indicated that some of the gambling websites have services for interacting with customers in a live manner and in several languages 24 hours a day, seven days a week.