• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechThe Mobile Executive

Here’s One Country Where Pokémon Go Is Definitely Not Welcome

By
David Meyer
David Meyer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
David Meyer
David Meyer
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 20, 2016, 9:56 AM ET
Life In The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Photograph by Jordan Pix — Getty Images

The hit game Pokémon Go won’t be rolling out in Saudi Arabia anytime soon after religious authorities there renewed a 15-year-old fatwa against the game.

Yes, Pokémon Go only just became available, but the wider Pokémon phenomenon dates back two decades. In 2001, the kingdom’s Council of Senior Scholars banned the card game for involving gambling, using polytheistic symbols, and promoting the theory of evolution.

According to the English language Saudi newspaper Arab News, the council has renewed the fatwa on the basis that “the current version of the game is the same as the old one.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

The news of the ban came out alongside reports of three Saudi men being arrested at King Abdullah airport in Jeddah after playing Pokémon Go on their smartphones there.

The game uses cameras on smartphones to superimpose cartoon creatures over images of the real world. According to Saudi news site Almowaten, the men were taken for interrogation on Monday evening for using their cameras in a restricted area of the airport.

Saudi Arabia isn’t the only country where people have gotten into trouble for playing the game where they shouldn’t. On Tuesday, Indonesian police said they had arrested a French player for wandering onto a military complex in Cirebon.

For more on Pokémon Go, watch:

The man, Romain Pierre, was released hours later after the police realized he had “unintentionally entered the complex as he was hunting Pokémon while jogging.”

Indonesia has also ordered its police to avoid playing the game while on duty, decrying it as distracting. The ban will soon be extended to military personnel as the authorities are worried about the security risks it may pose.

The game, run by Google spin-out Niantic Labs and The Pokémon Company, has not officially rolled out in Indonesia. However, as in Saudi Arabia and many other parts of the world, people there have found unofficial means to get it onto their smartphones.

About the Author
By David Meyer
LinkedIn icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

zuck
Commentarycyber
Boards aren’t ready for the AI age: What happens when your CEO gets deepfaked?
By James RichardsonMarch 3, 2026
50 minutes ago
AIMeta
Want to live forever? Meta patented an AI model that would keep your profile active after you die
By Jacqueline MunisMarch 3, 2026
57 minutes ago
AIFintech
Asia’s founders are spending more money on AI tools, with use of some coding tools rising by more than four times
By Angelica AngMarch 3, 2026
2 hours ago
OpenAI logo is seen in this photo illustration with the South Korean flag in the background
AIOpenAI
‘Could it kill someone?’ A Seoul woman allegedly used ChatGPT to help carry out two murders in South Korean motels
By Catherina GioinoMarch 2, 2026
12 hours ago
Sam Altman speaking into a mic.
AIOpenAI
OpenAI’s Pentagon deal raises new questions about AI and mass surveillance
By Beatrice NolanMarch 2, 2026
13 hours ago
iran
AIIran
Iran has the intent—and increasingly the tools—for AI-powered cyberattacks
By Sharon GoldmanMarch 2, 2026
15 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Middle East
U.S. military gives Iran a taste of its own medicine with cheap copycat Shahed drones, while concern shifts to munitions supply in extended conflict
By Jason MaMarch 1, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
MacKenzie Scott's close relationship with Toni Morrison long before Amazon put Scott on the path to give more than $1 billion to HBCUs
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 1, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Your grandparents are the reason the U.S. isn't in a recession right now. That won't last forever
By Eleanor PringleMarch 1, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Slack cofounder says workers and CEOs can get stuck doing 'fake' work like pre-meetings and slideshows
By Emma BurleighMarch 1, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
American schools weren’t broken until Silicon Valley used a lie to convince them they were—now reading and math scores are plummeting
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 1, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Health
Gen Z men are eating ‘boy kibble,’ the human equivalent to dog food, to load up on protein cheaply
By Jake AngeloMarch 1, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.