Sportradar has announced its official entry into the regulated UAE gambling market, having been granted a gaming-related vendor licence by the UAE's General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA).
Indeed, this groundbreaking licensure makes Sportradar the first sports betting supplier - or dedicated sports wagering company of any kind - to enter the UAE landscape. The supplier is now officially licensed to distribute its products to licensed operators in the nation.
This update comes almost exactly one year following the announcement of Aristocrat as the inaugural UAE licensee for retail gaming. Since that time, well over a dozen land-based suppliers have received gaming-vendor licences from the GCGRA; however, none have been in dedicated to sports wagering.
It has been a big 12 months for gambling in the UAE, with the launch of its first regulated national lottery also taking place in late 2024, an action that has been closely followed by the rapid expansion of the nation's licensed supplier network.
On the operator side - Wynn Resorts also secured a $2.4bn loan for its large-scale Al Marjan Island integrated hotel & casino resort development in Q1 2025. More recently, the operator also confirmed that the development remains on track for its scheduled 2027 opening.
For Sportradar, this latest news closely follows the supplier's Q2 2025 financial report, which saw the company record a revenue upswing of 14% year-on-year to €318m ($369.5m). More recently, the company also received CMA clearance to proceed with its IMG merger.
GCGRA CEO Kevin Mullally stated as part of a UAE panel at SBC Lisbon that ensuring compliance, fostering innovation and tackling the black market were the regulator's key goals for the new landscape
