1xBet is the bookmaker Gulf players search for by name more than any other, and it has earned that in the plainest way: it runs its own Arabic sites for Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia, opens accounts in each local currency, lists local payment rails no other offshore operator touches, and covers everything from the Qatar Stars League to camel racing in its sportsbook. Under that is the largest live casino on our list and a four-deposit casino package. It is also the only brand we cover whose founders are subject to international arrest warrants, and its complaint record is among the worst we have measured. This review takes both halves seriously. It is written for Qatar players and Kuwait players first, because that is where 1xBet's own Arabic sites are aimed.
Overview
1xBet launched in 2007 and is operated today by Caecus N.V. under Curaçao Gaming Authority licence OGL/2024/1262/0493, a new-regime licence issued directly by the authority after Curaçao abolished its master-licence system. That is the current position. The history matters more than usual, and a review that leaves it out is not doing its job.
The company's three founders were named by Russian investigators in 2020 and are under international arrest warrants; one has since died. The legacy operating entity, 1X Corp N.V., filed for bankruptcy in 2021 and the bankruptcy was upheld by the Dutch Supreme Court in January 2023. Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council sanctioned the brand in April 2023. The UK licence was surrendered in 2019 after a newspaper investigation. Morocco opened a mass investigation into the brand in 2023, and Indian enforcement authorities attached assets linked to it in 2026. In May 2026 a shareholder suit against Sportradar in New York quoted former employees describing 1xBet as likely the world's largest illegal gambling operator by revenue; that is a plaintiff's allegation, not a court finding, and we report it as such. The Saudi site's footer still cites the old 1668/JAZ Curaçao licence, which lapsed under the Curaçao reforms. None of this stops the site working. It should shape how much money you leave in it.
The product is broad. 1xbet.com/ar is a full Arabic interface, and the Gulf subdomains add local currency, local payment rails and local bonus copy. Casino Guru counts 228 game providers; the live lobby runs Evolution, Pragmatic Play Live and Ezugi with more than 200 tables. Support, per Casino Guru, is English-only live chat around the clock; affiliates claim Arabic agents, and we treat that as not confirmed.
The reputation numbers: Casino Guru Safety Index 7.4, "Above average", but with 30,109 black points from 415 complaints, of which 273 were rejected and 8 remain unresolved, and explicit flags for an extremely long verification process and unreasonable excuses for not paying. AskGamblers rates it 2.9 out of 10 with an average complaint response of 18 days, though 400 of 431 complaints were eventually resolved. Trustpilot has suppressed the rating for a breach of its guidelines after fake reviews were removed; the 8,491 reviews that remain are 72% one-star, with withdrawals stuck for weeks, accounts frozen at verification and deposits debited but not credited as the themes. 1xBet shares its platform with 1xSlots, 22Bet and BetWinner, each under a separate registered operator; common ownership is claimed by third parties and not documented.
Bonus and terms
| Offer | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sports welcome | 100% up to 450 QAR / 450 SAR | Read on 1xBet's own Qatar and Saudi pages; min deposit 4 QAR |
| Sports rollover | 5x in accumulators, 3+ legs at 1.40 or higher | Bonus trackers |
| Casino package | Up to about $1,500 + 150 free spins over 4 deposits | 100% / 50% / 25% / 25% |
| Casino wagering | 35x within 7 days | Bonus trackers, August 2026 |
| Weekly free bet | Up to $300 | Conor McGregor promotion on Gulf pages |
The sports bonus is the one we could read on 1xBet's own Gulf pages. The casino package comes from third-party trackers because the casino's own bonus page rendered only navigation menus for us, so the casino bonus is not verified as advertised. The four-deposit structure with 35x wagering in 7 days is a hard schedule: a $200 first deposit with a $200 bonus needs $7,000 in slot turnover inside a week, with live tables typically excluded. Most Gulf players who use 1xBet are there for the sportsbook, and the sports bonus at 5x on accumulators is the more realistic of the two. The welcome bonus guide puts both against the other casinos we list, and the calculator on this page shows the turnover for your deposit.
Games and live casino
The casino lobby is one of the largest anywhere, with Evolution, Pragmatic Play and Ezugi at the core and, per Casino Guru, more than 200 further studios behind them. Sweet Bonanza, Gates of Olympus, Book of Dead and the Egyptian-themed slots Gulf players search for are all present; our Arabic slots page covers the best of that category.
The live casino runs Evolution, Pragmatic Play Live and Ezugi with more than 200 tables: Lightning Roulette, Crazy Time, Infinite Blackjack and baccarat from Evolution, Sweet Bonanza CandyLand and Mega Wheel from Pragmatic, and Ezugi's lower-stakes roulette and blackjack. No source states that an Arabic-hosted table is switched on, so we list Arabic dealers as not confirmed; the live dealer guide names the casinos where they are on record, and the Arabic roulette page covers what to expect at the table.
The sportsbook is the reason to be here. Pre-match and in-play markets cover the Qatar Stars League, the Zain Premier League, the Bahrain Premier League, the Oman Professional League and the ADNOC Pro League alongside every European competition, with horse racing, tennis, basketball, cricket and esports. The Arabic betting page compares it with the specialist bookmakers on our list, and the football betting page covers the football markets in detail.
Payments and currencies
Accounts can be opened in AED, SAR, QAR, KWD, BHD, OMR, USD, EUR or crypto. Each Gulf subdomain defaults to its local currency: the Bahrain site says it accepts payment in Bahraini dinar, the Oman site lists the rial as an account currency, the Kuwait site advertises dinar deposits and withdrawals. AED is listed by AskGamblers only, since there is no UAE subdomain. This is the widest Gulf-currency support on our list, and it removes the conversion cost that every EUR-only casino imposes. See our AED guide for what a dirham wallet is worth in practice.
The cashier is geo-dependent and unusually local. From the Qatar page we saw Ooredoo Money, QNB, Visa and Mastercard, Jeton Cash, AirTM, Skrill, Binance Pay, Piastrix and 44 cryptocurrencies. From the Saudi page: STC Pay, cards, AirTM, AstroPay, Skrill, Neteller, Binance Pay, Jeton Cash and crypto. The Bahrain page lists STC Pay and bank cards. We have not tested the local rails and cannot vouch for how long they keep working; banks and wallets tend to cut them off once the merchant is identified. The rails players report as consistent:
- Cards. Visa and Mastercard. Gulf banks often decline gambling merchant codes.
- E-wallets. Skrill and Neteller.
- Vouchers. AstroPay and Jeton.
- Crypto. Binance Pay and USDT among 44 coins.
- Bank transfer. Slowest, and unlikely to clear from a Gulf bank.
MuchBetter, Sticpay and Perfect Money are not confirmed for Gulf accounts. KNET, BenefitPay, Thawani, QPay and OmanNet never reach an offshore merchant; where 1xBet lists a local wallet such as STC Pay or Ooredoo Money, that is a third-party arrangement, not the domestic rail itself.
Withdrawals
1xBet publishes no withdrawal timetable we could read, and neither Casino Guru nor AskGamblers records one, so withdrawal time is not confirmed. What is on record is the absence of limits: Casino Guru lists unlimited withdrawals with no win cap and AskGamblers says no withdrawal limits, which on paper is better than the €500 daily caps at the Rabona family.
The complaint record is the real timetable. Casino Guru flags an extremely long and confusing verification process; Trustpilot's reviewers describe withdrawals stuck for weeks, accounts frozen at verification and repeated document requests; AskGamblers' 18-day average complaint response is the slowest on our list. The practical response is to complete verification the day you register, before you have a balance you care about, withdraw in modest amounts rather than one large request, use the same method you deposited with, and keep every chat transcript. Crypto is the route players report as smoothest.
Mobile and app
1xBet's mobile page offers an Android APK for direct download, and states plainly that the app is not on Google Play. The iOS link on the same page points to a Colombian App Store storefront, and we could not confirm the app appears in any Gulf App Store, so iPhone users should assume browser play. The mobile site runs the sportsbook, casino and live tables in Safari and Chrome in Arabic without anything missing. Sideloading an APK from a gambling site carries its own risk; only download from 1xBet's own domain, never from the many mirror sites that rank for the brand name. The mobile casinos page lists which of our casinos have genuine store apps.
Support and Arabic
The interface is fully Arabic at 1xbet.com/ar and on each Gulf subdomain, and the translation quality is good. Live chat runs around the clock, in English only according to Casino Guru; affiliates claim Arabic agents, and we count that as not confirmed. Casino Guru rates the support experience poorly on the substance that matters, which is resolving withdrawal and verification disputes. Note also that the Saudi footer cites a lapsed licence, which tells you how carefully the localised pages are maintained.
Is it good for players in the Gulf
- United Arab Emirates. AED accounts per AskGamblers; no UAE subdomain. Cards from UAE banks are often declined; Skrill, Neteller, AstroPay, Jeton and USDT work. Minimum age 21. Not licensed by the GCGRA. See the UAE guide.
- Qatar. Own Arabic site with QAR accounts and a 450 QAR sports bonus. Qatari cards are usually declined and crypto is legally hostile; AstroPay and Jeton are the realistic rails, with Ooredoo Money listed but untested. See the Qatar guide.
- Kuwait. Own Arabic site with KWD deposits and withdrawals. KNET does not reach offshore merchants and crypto is banned by the Central Bank; a foreign-issued card, AstroPay or Jeton is the realistic route. See the Kuwait guide.
- Bahrain. Own Arabic site with BHD accounts and STC Pay listed. Crypto is licensed in Bahrain, so USDT is the cleanest rail. See the Bahrain guide.
- Oman. Own Arabic site with OMR accounts. USDT works; Omani bank cards generally do not. See the Oman guide.
Gambling by individuals is an offence in all five countries, and each guide sets out the specific article and penalty. 1xBet's local sites do not change that; they are marketing, not licensing.
Verdict
On product alone, 1xBet would be near the top of any Gulf list: local currencies, local sites, the deepest sportsbook and the largest live casino we cover, with no stated withdrawal limits. We cannot rank it there. Its founders are under international arrest warrants, its legacy entity is bankrupt, it has been sanctioned by one government and investigated by others, and its own complaint record describes verification loops and withheld withdrawals at a scale no other brand on our list matches. A casino bonus we could not verify and English-only support complete the picture. If you use it, do so for the sportsbook, verify on day one, keep balances small and withdraw often.
For a Gulf-built casino with confirmed Arabic support, a $10,000 daily limit and e-wallet payouts within the hour, our first recommendation is YYY Casino.
