Morocco is a North African country with a varied cultural heritage. Its identity is massively intertwined with one’s relationship—either very complex or driven by history, religion, and society—with gambling.
Online gambling is a relatively new phenomenon, which adds to its complexity.
This article by George Kassar from ArabCasinoHEX.com attempts to explain the cultural attitude toward online gambling in Morocco, drawing on religion, law, social norms, and economic factors.
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Historical and Religious Context
The attitude toward gambling is guided mainly by Islam, which forms the cultural base. Gambling in Islamic law is treated as part of the prohibition on maisir. The Quran directly prohibits gambling and considers it to be at an equal podium with intoxicants as a source of major sin and social harm.
Because of the religious prohibition described, Moroccans’ attitudes toward all kinds of gambling are generally negative.
The Moroccan approach to gambling, however, is paradoxical. Although the Islamic religion forbids the act, the nation has a long history of state-regulated gambling activities like lotteries and horse racing. Here, the duality represents a pragmatic approach by the Moroccan government in balancing religious considerations with economic interests.
Legal Framework
The Moroccan regulations regarding gambling are complex, even contradictory. Traditional games of chance are judiciously legislated and, for the most part, restricted to state-directed entities.
The National Lottery and the Moroccan Royal Society for the Encouragement of Horses—the SOREC—are the two entities primarily responsible for lottery games and horse racing, respectively.
As such, online gambling represents a gap in Moroccan legality. No statutes specifically enacted to cater to the different online gambling phenomena exist, but the general understanding is that whatever prohibitions and regulations applied to land-based facilities extended to the online realm as well.
With that in mind, many Moroccans access different online gambling platforms using offshore websites.
Social Norms and Attitudes
The Moroccan attitude to online gambling lies somewhere on a barometer that oscillates between conservatism, pragmatism, and open-mindedness, the three perspectives characterizing the Moroccan population’s complex cultural diversity.
Conservative Attitudes
The more conservative layers of Moroccan society that are highly influenced by the precepts of Islam look at online gambling as something that is morally improper. From the viewpoint of these two segments of the population, gambling presents a direct breach of the issued religious knowledge.
It is generally associated with social evil in the manner that this practice can give birth to addiction, financial destruction, and family disruption.
The perception is more common amongst the older generation and rural areas, with strong views on traditional human behaviour and religious tolerance.
Pragmatic Attitudes
More pragmatic attitudes to online gambling can be found among the middle class and younger people. They generally approach online gambling in terms of personal freedom issues and economic opportunities. They argue that risky as it might be, online gambling can be a form of entertainment and a way to make money.
This type of pragmatic attitude often comes hand in hand with the argument for clearer regulation and a vision of good consumer protection to ward off the pitfalls.
Liberal Attitudes
Liberal attitudes toward online gambling are mainly centred within the urban, educated, and cosmopolitan sections of the population. These people tend to open up to laissez-faire stances on gambling, considering that this activity is a personal choice and will not be put under moral or legal inhibition. They advocate the legalization and transparent regulation of online gambling, fair play, and consumer protection.
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Economic Considerations
The strongest motivational filter for Moroccans’ attitudes to online gambling is economic factors. The high level of unemployment, especially among the youth, creates an environment with great receptivity to gambling activities. For many Moroccans, online gambling becomes a good way to earn money that can lift their resettling lives out of poverty.
The Moroccan government relies on state-controlled gambling enterprises to raise substantial revenue. Such proceeds contributed to the funding of public and social programs. Still, a lot more potential needs to be tapped into, considering the country’s not very clear online gambling regulations.
Response of Government and Public Policy
The Moroccan government has been very cautious regarding online gambling, having to balance religious, social, and economic considerations. Most indicators showed that the government was just beginning to catch on that such activity goes on online more and more, so there wasn’t much in the way of attempting to legalize it other than preliminary efforts.
In essence, the debate of public policy issues about online gambling involves what approach should be taken to formulate a holistic policy regulatory framework addressing consumer protection, problem gambling, and revenues. Proponents argue that legalization and ensuing regulation would help curb the illegal market, safeguard consumers, and obtain substantial tax revenues.
Impact of Technology and Globalization
The fast evolution of technology and increased Internet penetration in Morocco influenced the perspective on the domain of Internet gambling. The perspective of many concerning internet gambling in Morocco is gradually becoming influential due to the ease of access to platforms worldwide and concerns among technology-savvy youth.
Globalization has also played a part in regards to attitudes that have become associated with online gambling. Familiarity with the Western culture, where gambling activities are seen as more widespread and open, eventually influences the thoughts of some Moroccans en route to a more liberal status on the matter.
Conclusion
In Morocco, the general attitude towards online gambling is just one of the cultural attitudes shaped by a blend of religious, social, economic, and technological factors. On one hand, the basic social structure and religious teachings do not approve of gambling.
On the other hand, the younger population views new technology pragmatically and liberally.
The lack of clarity in online Morocco gambling legality provisions raises problems. It makes room for massive underground markets with related consumer risks. It is also indicative of the scope for regulating reform that could secure the prospective economic gains associated with online gambling, safeguard customers, and provide a means for addressing harm during problem gambling.
Author’s Bio:
George Kassar’s primary goal at ArabCasinoHEX is to provide accurate, unbiased, and comprehensive information about online gambling to Arab readers, focusing on beginner and professional players alike. He emphasizes responsible gambling, ensuring his content warns against addiction and promotes only licensed and reputable sites.
Find more of his insights at ArabCasino HEX.
