Last Updated on 2021/05/19
It is said that if Asia were to legalize gambling, as it is in most western countries, that the market would be profoundly bigger, and others say that the gambling market in Asia is already bigger than that of western countries.
However, gambling in Asia is not as simple as one may think, and there are many different laws and rules for each country. For those who are interested in learning more about the current state of gambling around Asia, this is what you need to know.
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China
Gambling in China has a very colorful and interesting history, but since 1949, it has been illegal, with strict laws enforcing this legislation. To be more specific, any kind of gambling is illegal in terms of casinos, and even opening up a casino outside of China and advertising to Chinese citizens is considered illegal.
This doesn’t mean that all forms of gambling are illegal, as citizens are still allowed to participate in either national lotteries, football betting or horse racing, under the condition that it is managed by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. The HKJC is a government-run organization, and money made from betting is used to address many different social issues.
Japan
Another country with a very interesting history with gambling is Japan, and similar to China, it was made illegal quite a long time ago, specifically in 1907. Before that, gambling was legal in different forms, and made illegal a few times before official legislation in 1907. Because of this, there are many forms of gambling that are still legal, such as horse race betting, auto race betting, motorcycle and bicycle race betting. Very recently gambling was legalized, but only for the soon to be built casino resorts that are yet to be constructed.
One of the most popular forms of betting however is pachinko, and there are around 800 establishments and 12,500 pachinko halls in Japan, which house a collective of about 2.56 million pachinko machines, that are played by over 8.9 million people. Japan is also a good example for the choice of online games available. There are websites who can help you find online casinos according to your preferences. If you need good reviews on casinos, Japan-101 is a perfect source of information as it can guide you to earning at online casinos and introduce methods that are easy to understand and if you visit the following website you will be able to explore through so many different choices. The good thing about Online Casino is that it helps the visitors choose among games that are well known and attractive to the gamblers. At the same time it gives them possibilities to play through the device they prefer, whether that is a smartphone, desktop computer or a laptop.
Singapore
Singapore is one of the few countries in Asia where casino gambling is not outright banned or illegal, and it is very easy to gamble there, if you are a tourist. There are 2 main casinos in Singapore, namely the Marina Bay Sands Casino and the Crockfords Tower Casino, which are free for tourists to visit. For residents on the other hand, they are required to pay a $100 fee when they visit a casino, and the same is true for online casinos.
Sports betting is also legal in Singapore, and is available to everyone, but the only authority that allows it is Singapore Pools, which means that if there is a sport to be bet on, it has to go through them, otherwise it is illegal.
Macau
Although Macau is in China, it is seen as its own autonomous region, and is classified as a special administrative region, which means that it doesn’t follow the same gambling laws as China. Because of this, it has become one of the biggest and most successful gambling industries in the world. There are 41 casinos in Macau, some of which are the City of Dreams, Venetian Macau, MGM Grand Macau and the Pharaoh’s Palace Casino.
When it comes to online casinos, the law is a little blurry. The laws in Macau make a distinction between online casinos based in Macau and those based abroad; which means that any online casinos based in Macau are illegal, but online casinos based abroad are accessible.
The Philippines
Gambling laws in the Philippines are similar to those of Macau, and there are about the same number of casinos available too. Some of the 41 casinos that can be gambled at are the Golden Nile Bar & Casino, Wild Orchid Resort & Poker Room, City of Dreams and the Oriental Paradise Casino. The gambling laws in the Philippines are very interesting in that there are different regions, such as Visayas, Luzon and Mindanao, and the regions are managed by different authorities, namely Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation and the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport.
Online casinos based in the Philippines are illegal and residents are not allowed to access them, although many online casinos based abroad are very popular.