Culture and history

Bangladesh's cultural view of gambling is shaped by Islamic norms, where money bets are considered vicious - hence the public rejection of casinos and sweepstakes.

In the colonial era, there were lotteries and bets on running, but in independent Bangladesh they gradually went to the periphery, giving way to traditional non-standard leisure formats: carrom, ludo, folk games and holidays like Pohela Boishakh.

Sports identity is built around cricket and kabaddi (a national sport), however fan culture is not converted into legal betting due to prohibitive policies.

In the mass consciousness, excitement is associated with social risks and violation of religious regulations, so cultural policies support family and community leisure without betting.