Although some forms of gaming are allowed in Israel, the government continues to aggressively block access to offshore or any other kind of online gaming.
In Israel the National Lottery is legal as is sports betting, which can be accessed legally online. Casino games are not legal except on casino boats offshore.
The country appears to have an underground online gaming economy estimated at about 3.5 billion annually.
The government tries to block residents from accessing offshore online gaming by filtering ISPs and internet blocking. However, these efforts appear largely ineffectual. The most recent was a court order requiring all local ISPs to block three gambling domains.
This order was done through the “Powers to Prevent Offenses Through an Internet Site” of 2017.
The government has also forbidden Israeli police to visit casinos anywhere, including legal one, when they are traveling abroad.
Determined Israeli players have figured ways around these efforts, occasionally finding out the latest tricks from viewing YouTube videos. There are few arrests. Some feel that the only way to get a handle on the activity is to legalize and then regulate and tax it.
Some politicians support this approach and favor turning the seaside resort of Eilat into a “Red Sea Las Vegas.” However, being a nation that was formed as a refuge for religious refugees and where the Jewish religion is still very influential and powerful, legalizing gambling entirely is a heavy lift.
