Is the Astronaut game legal in Pakistan? The 1977 Act, PTA blocking, NCCIA and what mirror links really mean
Online gambling is not legal or regulated in Pakistan, and no operator holds a Pakistani licence, so that is the answer for Astronaut too. The law behind it is the Prevention of Gambling Act 1977, which never mentions the internet; since 2025 the state has acted through blocking (the PTA), investigations (the NCCIA) and payment channels (the FIA). Astronaut supports PKR and 100HP publishes no list of restricted countries, but neither fact is permission. This is not legal advice.
What does the Prevention of Gambling Act 1977 say?
The Act defines “gaming” to include wagering or betting, and a “common gaming-house” as any house, room, tent, enclosure, vehicle, vessel or other place whatsoever where instruments of gaming are kept. It also covers gaming on figures, numbers or dates to be ascertained later, or on the occurrence or non-occurrence of any natural event. Online play is not mentioned, because the Act dates from 1977, and the text we read has no exception for games of skill.
| Section | What it covers | Maximum penalty |
|---|---|---|
| s. 3 | Keeping or managing a gaming-house, or advancing money for gaming | 1 month to 1 year, and/or a fine of Rs 100 to Rs 1,000 |
| s. 4 | Being found in a gaming-house | Up to 1 year, and/or up to Rs 5,000 |
| s. 5 | Gaming in a public place | Up to 1 year, and/or up to Rs 500 |
| s. 6 | Gaming in a private place | Up to 2 years, and/or up to Rs 1,000 |
| s. 7 | Repeat offence | Up to 3 years, and/or up to Rs 2,000 |
We found no 2024–2026 provincial amendment on online betting, which is not proof that none exists. For you: the penalties are old and small in rupees, and the Act says nothing about a game on a phone. What changed in 2025 is the enforcement around it.
Who does what: the PTA, the NCCIA and the FIA?
Three bodies appear in the 2025–2026 news, and each has a different reach.
| Body | What it does | Figures in the sources |
|---|---|---|
| PTA | Blocks websites and apps under section 37 of PECA 2016; it says that acting against individuals is beyond its mandate | 184 sites and apps blocked by 6 August 2025; 260 by 20 September 2025 |
| NCCIA | Investigates online crime; it took over the FIA’s cybercrime wing after the 2025 amendment of PECA (assent 30 January 2025) | 46 apps declared unlawful on 22 August 2025; cases against promoters |
| FIA | Follows financial flows and payment accounts | Case in Faisalabad: Rs 119.93 billion through 11 companies, reported in October 2026 |
For you: the PTA can block a site on a complaint, without a court, so any operator that serves Pakistan can disappear overnight. None of these bodies licenses gambling, because Pakistan has no licensing path: a June 2026 PSU analysis describes no regulated alternative behind the blocks.
Is Astronaut on the NCCIA list of 46 apps?
The press named about a dozen of the 46 entries on 22 August 2025, among them well-known betting brands and an Aviator app. We did not find Astronaut among the names published, and the coverage we read did not print the full list, so absence of a name is not clearance.
A browser game needs no app: Astronaut opens inside an operator’s site, so a block removes the operator’s domain, with your balance behind it. For you: do not read a list of names as a map of what is safe. The APK and clones guide covers the app side.
Which activities carry which risk, according to the sources?
In the 2025–2026 cases, exposure grows from information to money to promotion. The rows describe what the sources report, not a verdict.
| Activity | What the sources report | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Reading about the game, or this site | An information resource is not “gaming” under the Act; the PTA still blocks on complaints | Low legal exposure on our reading; a page can be blocked |
| Opening the official demo | The demo uses play credits, so nothing is staked | No wager in the Act’s sense, on our reading |
| Staking money at an offshore operator | We found no report of a player prosecuted for an online bet; the Act’s definitions are broad | Unknown, not safe |
| Passing deposits through your wallet for others | JazzCash closed aggregator accounts in 2026; the FIA filed a case in Faisalabad | Higher: your name and wallet appear in the records |
| Promoting betting apps or links | The NCCIA arrested a YouTuber on 17 August 2025 (FIR 196/25) and opened cases against other influencers in September 2025; lawyers quoted in the press estimated up to 7 years and a fine of up to Rs 10 million | Highest: this is where the law has been used |
For you: sharing a “winning link” or bonus code is the activity the cases single out. The payments guide covers the wallet side, and the predictor guide shows how channels turn followers into promoters.
What do “Astronaut game link” searches really find, and what is a mirror?
People search for a working address: Ahrefs counts about 110 monthly searches for “link” phrases and 80 for “login” phrases around Astronaut in Pakistan. When the PTA blocks a domain, operators publish alternative addresses, called mirrors. The PTA’s tally rose from 184 to 260 sites and apps in six weeks of 2025, and a mirror gives you no way to verify who runs it.
On VPNs, the facts are these. The PTA has required VPNs to register since 2024, granted licences to nine local providers and recorded more than 30,000 registrations by January 2026, and has said that people should not reach unauthorised content through VPNs. This site gives no instructions for bypassing a block; the risk is concrete, since a VPN adds one more company that sees your traffic.
For you: the studio’s own demo address is casino.100hp.game/astronaut with a game id. A link on any other domain is an operator’s page or a copy; close a link that someone sent you with a one-time demo token in it.
Does PKR support or a foreign licence change the answer?
No. 100HP lists PKR among the 107 currencies of Astronaut and publishes no restricted-countries list, but a currency code in software is not a permission. Distributors describe 100HP as holding a Curaçao licence, which concerns the studio and the operators that buy its games. Pakistan has no licensing path, so a licence number on a casino page proves nothing here. For you: treat any claim of a Pakistani licence, approval or authorisation on a page as a red flag, because no such status exists for gambling.
- Search the page for “Pakistan”.Any claim of authorisation here is false.
- Find which licence is named.Note who issued it; a Curaçao-type licence says nothing about Pakistan.
- Check how money moves.A personal wallet number or an “agent” means you are outside any operator’s cashier.
- Look for a way to complain.Often an email only; no Pakistani authority takes such complaints.
- Date the screenshot.Pages and domains change after each block.
Want to compare the claims with the real game?
Astronaut opens in the browser at the partner casino, an offshore operator, and its welcome bonus is 600% up to Rs 3,000,000. No APK, plays in the browser · 18+ · Not legal or regulated in Pakistan · Play responsibly.
Play Astronaut with the bonusWhat should you do next?
If you are under 18, stop here: majority in Pakistan starts at 18 (Majority Act 1875, section 3). If you are an adult, read the responsible-gambling guide before a single rupee moves. The payments guide explains the cashier side, and the Legal Disclaimer states what this site is and is not.
Which sources back these statements?
- Astronaut game card on 100hp.game — RTP 98%, Very High volatility, “Launched in 2025”, crash category.
- official 100HP demo page — the official demo wrapper, $10,000 play balance.
- client v2 of the official demo — interface strings, limits and configuration read on 12 October 2026.
- Prevention of Gambling Act 1977 and Sindh Prevention of Gambling Ordinance 1978 (sindhlaws.gov.pk), summarised on nasirlawsite.com, read 12 October 2026.
- phoneworld.com.pk, 6 August 2025; thenews.pk, 20 September 2025; igamingtoday.com, 22 August 2025; nukta.com and digitalrightsmonitor.pk (YouTuber cases).
- techjuice.pk and propakistani.pk, 8 October 2026 (FIA); psu.com, 22 June 2026; propakistani.pk, 21 January 2026 (VPN registrations); Ahrefs Keywords Explorer, Pakistan, 12 October 2026.
This is a summary of public sources read on 12 October 2026, not legal advice. For a decision about your own situation, ask a lawyer in Pakistan.
What else do players ask about the law and Astronaut?
Can I be arrested for playing Astronaut in Pakistan?
The Prevention of Gambling Act 1977 sets prison terms of up to 3 years for gaming offences, but it predates online play, and the 2025–2026 cases we found target promoters and payment accounts. We found no report of a player prosecuted for a bet on a website. That is not protection, and this is not legal advice.
Does the PTA block Astronaut itself?
The PTA blocks websites and apps under section 37 of PECA 2016, not a studio’s game as such. Astronaut runs on operators’ domains, so a block on an operator removes the game from your phone with it. None of the coverage we read names Astronaut, and the PTA says that action against individuals is beyond its mandate.
Is a Curaçao licence valid in Pakistan?
No Pakistani authority recognises it, because Pakistan has no licensing path for online gambling. A Curaçao-type licence, which distributors attribute to 100HP without a published number, concerns the studio and the operators that buy its games. Online gambling is not legal or regulated in Pakistan, whatever licence a site displays.
What happens to my balance if the PTA blocks the site I use?
The block hides the site; it does not close your account or return your money. No Pakistani authority handles complaints about operators, and the operator may publish a new address. Treat a balance at an offshore site as money that can be hard to reach, and note the withdrawal terms before you deposit.
Astronaut Game editorial team
Written and checked by the editorial team: every number is verified in the official 100HP demo client before publication, with experience in crash games, the legal reality of online gambling in Pakistan and responsible gambling. The method is described in full on the how we verify page.
