Gambling and Betting Law in Nepal 2026 — Full Guide

No. Under the Casino Regulation 2070 (2013), Nepali citizens and residents are banned from entering or playing in casinos. Only foreign passport holders aged 18+ are permitted, with passport verification at the door.

No. Online sports betting, online casinos and online poker are illegal under Section 125 of the Penal Code 2074. Offshore betting sites are blocked by NTA. FERA / NRB Act charges stack on cross-border remittance for betting.

The Some Public (Crime and Punishment) Act 2027 (1970) was Nepal's gambling and minor-offences statute prior to 17 August 2018. It was repealed when the Muluki Aparadh Sanhita (Penal Code) 2074 came into force on that date, with the gambling and betting provisions migrated to Sections 121-125 of the new Penal Code. References in some practitioner articles to the "Act 2027" as live law are out of date; the current statute is the Penal Code 2074.

Hosting, organising or letting premises be used for gambling is a separate offence under Sections 121-125 of the Penal Code 2074, with the operator / organiser facing a heavier penalty than mere participants. Practitioner sources cite up to 3 years' imprisonment and NPR 3 lakh for organisers, exceeding the plain Section 125 text — likely combining Sec 125 with aggravation provisions or related offences. Verify the specific charging against current Penal Code text with counsel before relying on these figures. The gambling instruments and proceeds are confiscated regardless.

No, teen-patti for stakes is gambling under Section 125 of the Penal Code 2074, regardless of the festival context. The cultural practice of teen-patti during Tihar is widespread but not legally exempt; Nepal Police conducts enforcement drives during the festival season, and arrests are common. First-offence penalty under Sec 125 is up to 3 months or NPR 30,000. Stake-free teen-patti as social entertainment is outside the gambling definition. Small-stake family games face less consistent enforcement but remain technically illegal.

Under the Casino Regulation 2070 (2013) and current Finance Acts, the casino licence fee is NPR 2 crore (NPR 20 million) for full casino operations and NPR 1 crore (NPR 10 million) for machine-only gaming. Annual royalty is NPR 5 crore for full casino and NPR 1.5 crore for machine-only. The licence is annual, renewable by mid-July at the start of the fiscal year. The Kathmandu Post has reported alternative figures (NPR 25 million) citing recent Finance Acts — verify against the current FY rate.

Casinos must operate inside a licensed luxury hotel under the Casino Regulation 2070. The current border-distance rule is 3 km from the international border (with India and China). A 2025 amendment Bill proposes reverting to the earlier 5 km rule to limit border-traffic gambling. Casinos cluster in Kathmandu (Yak & Yeti, Soaltee, Crowne Plaza, Hyatt, others), Pokhara (Tiger Palace), and border-hotel locations targeting Indian-tourist traffic. The host hotel's classification and amenities are part of the licence condition.

The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) issues casino licences under the Casino Regulation 2070. The Department of Tourism and Nepal Tourism Board provide operational support. The licence application requires the host hotel's classification certification, the operator's company registration, fee deposit, premises specification, security and audit framework. MoCTCA conducts background checks and periodic inspections during the licence term. Licence renewal is annual by mid-July.

Government-approved lotteries operated by Nepal Aam Pratisthan (Nepal General Trust) and similar permitted bodies are exempt from Section 125 of the Penal Code 2074. Private commercial lotteries without government permission are unlawful. Small-prize games at public ceremonies, fairs, and festivals (where movable property of low value is awarded) are exempt under the Penal Code framework. The advertisement of unlicensed lotteries is prohibited under the Advertisement (Regulation) Act 2076. Cross-border lottery participation (e.g., Indian government lotteries from Nepal) is unsettled but generally treated cautiously.

Poker played for cash stakes falls within Section 125 of the Penal Code 2074. Practitioner commentary (lawimperial, lawbhandari) notes that poker has a significant skill component that could distinguish it from pure chance games, but no Supreme Court of Nepal decision has settled the skill-vs-chance question for poker. Practitioners advise treating any cash-stake poker as exposing the player to Section 125 risk. Stake-free poker is outside the gambling definition. Commercial poker tournaments would need to be structured around the licensing / casino framework, which restricts Nepali-citizen participation.

No. Sports betting on cricket, football and other sports falls under Section 125 sub-section (6) of the Penal Code 2074, with a penalty of up to 1 year' imprisonment + NPR 10,000 fine + forfeiture of the staked amount. Offshore sports betting sites are blocked by NTA at ISP level. Where the bettor remits funds abroad to fund the betting account, the Foreign Exchange (Regulation) Act 2019 Section 9(c) FERA charge stacks on the Sec 125(6) gambling charge, dramatically increasing exposure. VPN bypass does not legalise the underlying activity.

Cryptocurrency trading itself is illegal in Nepal under NRB notices and the FX (Regulation) Act 2019. Using cryptocurrency to fund gambling stacks the crypto offence on top of the Section 125 gambling charge. The combined exposure can be material — Sec 125 betting (up to 1 year), FERA Sec 9(c) (1×–3× transaction value + up to 3 years), NRB Act Sec 95 (up to 7 years for high-value), and Asset Laundering Prevention Act 2064 (1–4 years) all charging in parallel where the scale and pattern qualify. The CIB Cyber Bureau investigates the wallet / exchange / bank chain.

Fantasy sports — Dream11-style daily fantasy games — sit in legally ambiguous space. Where the game has a predominant skill element and cash stakes, the position depends on the skill-vs-chance line under Section 125. Offshore fantasy-sports platforms are typically blocked by NTA alongside other betting sites. There is no specific fantasy-sports licensing framework in Nepal. Operators contemplating a Nepal-facing fantasy platform should obtain legal advice well in advance and structure the offering carefully; defensive design (skill emphasis, no direct cash-stake) reduces exposure but does not eliminate it.

No. Advertising of gambling, betting and unlicensed lotteries is prohibited under the Advertisement (Regulation) Act 2076 (2019). Licensed casinos can advertise their hospitality / tourism offerings but cannot promote gambling itself to Nepali audiences. Cross-border advertising (Indian betting site advertisements on offshore platforms reaching Nepali audiences) generates complex enforcement issues — the platform faces Adv Reg Act exposure, and the Nepal Telecommunications Authority can issue takedown orders. Influencers promoting betting platforms face liability under the Act.

Cockfighting, dog-fighting, bull-fighting and other animal-fight gambling are doubly illegal in Nepal — Section 125 of the Penal Code 2074 for the gambling element, and Section 290 (cruelty to animals) for the underlying animal harm. Section 291 (cruelty in public) can also apply. The combined charging substantially raises the exposure. Cultural cock-fighting events at some hill festivals have been challenged by animal-welfare NGOs through writ petitions, with the Supreme Court generally favouring protective interpretation but enforcement against deeply embedded cultural practice remains uneven.

Section 125 first-offence gambling cases are typically bailable, given the modest penalty (up to 3 months or NPR 30,000). Second-offence and subsequent charges with the steeper penalty ladder (up to 1 year + fine) are still generally bailable on standard conditions. Where the case involves stacked charges — gambling + FERA + AML + NRB Act — the bail position depends on the heaviest charge, with FERA-stack cases sometimes effectively non-bailable. The District Court is the bail authority. Procedural bail conditions (no contact with co-accused, no operation of the gambling premises) typically apply.

A 2025 amendment Bill to the Casino Regulation 2070 has been discussed, proposing reverting the casino border-distance rule from 3 km to 5 km from the international border. Civil society and tourism-industry voices have made representations on both sides — tourism interests favour proximity (Indian tourists), social-policy interests favour distance. No major reform to the Penal Code 2074 gambling sections is currently in train; the framework is treated as stable. Online gambling regulation has been raised in policy discussions but no Bill has progressed. The trajectory is enforcement-focused rather than liberalising.

Nepal Police is the principal enforcement body for Section 125 offences, with the Crime Investigation Department (CID) handling complex / organised gambling operations. Enforcement drives are concentrated during the Tihar season (Oct-Nov) and around major sports events (cricket internationals, IPL season). Online betting investigation is led by the Cyber Bureau of CIB. Where FERA charges are involved, the NRB Foreign Exchange Management Department (FXMD) and Department of Money Laundering Investigation (DMLI) join the investigation. Cases are filed at the District Court by the Public Prosecutor.

For routine Section 125 charges from social-gambling enforcement drives, particularly second-offence and subsequent cases where the penalty ladder steepens. For casino operators on licensing, renewal, and Nepali-citizen access disputes. For online betting investigations where the FERA / NRB Act / AML stacking is being assembled — early intervention is critical because the multi-statute exposure can be material. And for advisory work on skill-vs-chance game commercialisation where a platform launch is being planned.