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Yolo Group secures UAE gaming licences in historic GCC market entry

A landmark move for Middle East gambling: Yolo Group's licences pave the way for legal iGaming in the UAE. How will this reshape the GCC's betting landscape?

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1 min read
The image shows a casino sign lit up at night in front of a building, with text on the wall and...
The image shows a casino sign lit up at night in front of a building, with text on the wall and lights illuminating the area. On the right side of the image, there are boards with text, likely advertising the best casinos in Las Vegas.

Yolo Group secures UAE gaming licences in historic GCC market entry

Yolo Group has secured two gaming licences in the United Arab Emirates, marking a major step into the region's newly regulated market. The company will now supply iGaming content under its subsidiaries, Hub88 Holdings and Live Online Gaming Services. This move also sets the stage for Live88 to become the first approved online live casino studio in the GCC region. The licences were granted by the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, an independent UAE government body. They allow Yolo Group to legally offer its gaming products in a market that has only recently opened to regulation. The UAE is the first country in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to introduce such oversight for gambling.

As part of its expansion, Yolo Group will merge its Sportsbet and Bitcasino brands under a single identity, Yolo.com. The goal is to position the unified brand in Tier-1 regulated markets, where compliance demands stricter internal controls. Juan Ignacio Ibáñez, general secretary of the MiCA Crypto Alliance, noted that entering these markets requires adapting processes and reporting standards. Before scaling operations across the GCC, Yolo Group will keep product development and testing in Estonia. This approach ensures that its offerings meet regulatory requirements before full deployment in the region.

The new licences enable Yolo Group to operate legally in the UAE's regulated gambling sector. Live88's approval as the first online live casino studio in the GCC further strengthens the company's position. With a streamlined brand and compliance-ready processes, Yolo Group is now set to expand across other regulated markets in the region.

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