Live88 Becomes First UAE‑Licensed Live Casino Studio

The Gulf’s gaming landscape just shifted dramatically—and in favor of regulation.

Yolo Group has been awarded vendor licences from the UAE’s new gaming regulator, GCGRA, for its subsidiaries including Live88 and Hub88. This move crowns Live88 as the first licensed live casino studio in the UAE, opening access to GCC-regulated iGaming.

This achievement isn’t just symbolic—it’s strategic. Yolo is pivoting from crypto-dominated, grey-market operations toward an ecosystem built entirely on licensed, regulated markets. The UAE is emerging as a Tier‑1 regulated hub in its expansion playbook.

Let’s explore why this licensing is critical, how Yolo plans to scale, and what it signals for regulated gaming in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region.

Key Points:

1. Live88 becomes UAE’s first licensed live casino studio under GCGRA vendor licences.
2. The licences allow Yolo to supply B2B gaming content in the newly regulated UAE market.
3. Yolo is restructuring under a single regulated brand and shifting from crypto to compliance-first markets.

Live88 Secures UAE License: Yolo Group Becomes First Licensed Live Casino Studio in the Gulf

This is a watershed moment. For years, the Gulf region’s gaming scene existed largely in speculation and regulatory ambiguity. Now, with GCGRA (General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority) firmly in place and issuing licences, the UAE has become the first GCC jurisdiction to formalize commercial gaming oversight.

GCGRA: The UAE’s New Gaming Gatekeeper

The GCGRA is the federal authority with exclusive jurisdiction to license, regulate, and supervise all commercial gaming in the UAE. It oversees internet gaming, sports wagering, lotteries, and land-based operations. Violating its rules risks severe penalties, including license revocations.

Yolo’s licences, granted for its vendor entities Hub88 Holdings and Live Online Gaming Services (Live88 / Onetouch.io), authorize it to supply gaming content as a B2B vendor. Among those licences, Live88 now holds the mantle of being the first licensed live casino studio in the UAE.

Why Yolo’s Strategy Matters

This licensing is more than a regulatory stamp—it is the culmination of a concerted strategic pivot by Yolo Group. The company is phasing out its grey-market crypto brands (like Bitcasino.io and Sportsbet.io) and consolidating under a single regulated brand, Yolo.com.

Yolo plans to integrate its digital and land-based offerings—for example linking to its Estonian-licensed Bombay Casino—using unified systems like one-wallet setups and MiCA-compliant cryptocurrency payments under regulation. Their product development and testing remain in Estonia before rollout across the UAE, GCC, Canada, Sweden, and Finland.

This is a classic growth play: begin tech and R&D in a known, favorable jurisdiction; secure strong regulated entry; and scale outward. It reduces risk while aligning with global regulatory expectations.

Challenges and Risks

Of course, this isn’t without challenges.

• Regulatory scrutiny in the UAE will likely be intense. GCGRA is newly formed but intends to enforce transparency, audit requirements, and financial crime prevention.
• Yolo must deliver content that aligns with local culture, advertising rules, and responsible gaming standards.
• The shift from grey-market revenue to regulated revenue means near-term financial rebalancing. Replacing lost traffic or niche crypto users will demand strong local market acquisitions.

Still, the upside is massive: being first in a nascent regulated Gulf market gives Yolo a brand-first advantage and entitles them to shape market standards.

Yolo Group’s licensing of Live88 as the UAE’s first regulated live studio marks a historic turning point—both for the company and the region.

It’s not just about gaining access to a new market—it’s about transforming from crypto-era risk to compliance-era leadership. For Yolo, this is a bold leap into a more sustainable and globally credible future.

The Gulf’s gaming waters are opening. Yolo’s not just swimming—they’re setting course as one of the first captains.

Tags: #Live88 #YoloGroup #UAE #GCGRA #GamingRegulation #iGaming #LiveCasino #GCCGaming

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