In Which Countries Is Gambling Legal?

Gambling is legal in many countries…

●       Australia and New Zealand

●       Canada

●       France

●       Germany

●       Italy

●       Mexico

●       South Africa

●       Spain

●       The United Kingdom

●       The United States

Top Countries with Regulated Gambling Markets

1. United Kingdom (UK)

Gambling (both offline and online) has long been popular for UK residents. The United Kingdom Gambling Commission (commonly shortened UKGC) plays the role of enacting and maintaining strict standards around this pastime activity. The regulations put into motion make it easy to authenticate the legitimacy of online casinos that are regulated and may operate legally within Great Britain.

The majority of Brits place great priority on sports and excitement. You’ll be hard-pressed to envision United Kingdom without betting because of how profoundly it has become ingrained into the culture. The local gambling operators rake in millions of pounds because Britons enjoy novel gaming and punditry.

Nearly all British-facing gambling platforms are based in the United Kingdom because the market is well-established. The likes of William Hill have been serving the British pundits for nearly a century. Residents’ love for gambling explains the tremendous popularity of casino sites and bookmarkers.

Gambling in Britain runs the gamut from casino games to betting on darts and football (soccer). Speaking of which, Brits love betting on their favorite soccer home teams, with outfits in the top-tier English Premier League (EPL) taking the center-stage. Manchester United, Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, and Liverpool FC account for the biggest sportsbook handle every weekend. Britons also love wagering on local horse races – talk about Cheltenham Festival, Royal Ascot, and Boodles May Festival.

Well-known gambling sites in the United Kingdom (aka UKGC-regulated players) – Bet365, William Hill, Ladbrokes, Unibet, 888, and Betfair. In addition to that, the United Kingdom gambling market boasts well over 8300 physical betting shops.

2. The United States (U.S.)

The United States has the upper hand in the gambling space thanks to its sheer size (rather than the share of gamblers in the population). The US is home to roughly 7 out every 10 online gamblers worldwide. Dozens of states, including Florida, Mississippi, and Maryland, have just recently kicked off the procedure of enabling both online and land-based gambling within their borders.

Nonetheless, American citizens from states without registered online gaming portals are frequently permitted to place bets on overseas sites. It is justifiable why US gamblers plunk down more than $35 billion on an annual basis on casino gambling, which is undoubtedly going to soar.

In the United States, laws govern gambling at the federal level, but state and local governs have a say in this. In fact, most regulations that now permit legal online gambling in the US have been drafted and passed by their state legislators. The same bills are ratified and signed into law by state governors with the aim of cushioning their state coffers with more revenue.

At the same time, Indian tribal nations are given the authority by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 to run and control gambling within their territories. If casinos gaming were to be outlawed by criminal law in the US, no federal agency or government policy who stop Native American Tribes from operating their gambling activities.

New Jersey leads the pack in the US online gambling space, while Nevada (home of Las Vegas, aka Sin City) runs the show in terms of land-based gaming. The Garden State kicked off the online casino craze in the US, introducing Borgata Online Casino, BetMGM, and William Hill to people within its borders in conjunction with brick-and-mortar partners in Atlantic City.

Well-known states in the US where gambling is legal – Nevada, New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Delaware, Michigan, New Hampshire, and New Mexico. Most sought-after gambling – NFL betting, basketball, baseball, and college football. Interested gamblers in most states must be 18 or order.

3. Japan

Japan is an outlier and a trailblazer in regards to the scrutiny and oversight it applies to the sites permitted to operate within its borders. That’s especially true pertaining to breaking gambling taboos among Asian countries.

Because of the stringent safety requirements and their insatiable appetite for online gambling, Japanese gamblers spend an astounding $20 billion each year at pachinkor parlors and overseas casino sites.

4. Spain

Spaniards are such fervent fans of gambling that they could easily plunk down their savings. Millions of casino games and gaming activities have not been outlawed because gambling is legal in Spain and the government stands to gain 20% in tax revenue.

Residents of Spain are able to place bets and play the games offered on their favorite legal online casino. Additionally, residents can visit brick-and-mortar gaming establishments where they can play without much restriction. The Spanish General Directorate for the Regulation of Gambling (Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego, or DGOJ) plays the role of establishing and maintaining strict standards around gambling in Spain.

Well-known land based gambling establishments in Spain -Casino Marbella, Gran Casino Costa Brava, Casino Barcelona, and Casino Cirsa. Spaniards’ gambling activities of choice – sports, lottery (El Gordo de Navidad), blackjack, and dice.

5. Italy

Gambling in Italy dates back to the Roman Empire, although it has gone through many cycles of legalizing, banning, and decriminalizing over the years. Nowadays, electric gaming slots rake in about half of all gambling revenue in Italy. Legal gambling in Italy mainly entails sports betting and lottery – both regional lottery games and national lotteries are available for play. Italian favorite bookmakers – Sisal Matchpoint, BWIN, SNAI, and Betfred.

That is not to say Italians skip casino gambling. They gamble regularly in casinos but the love affair for gambling here can be squarely attributed to the country’s obsession with football. Italy is dotted with well-known land-based casinos, especially in touristy spots – most notably Milan, Sanremo, and Venice. Top brick-and-mortar casinos in Italy – Casinò di Venezia (the oldest one in the world!), Casino de la Vallee, Casino di Sanremo, and Casino di Campione.

Additionally, online gambling has long been a favorite for Italians. The Italian Gaming Authority (Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stato, or AAMS) plays the role of creating and enforcing rigorous standards around this online activity.

6. Australia and New Zealand

Australia has a quite sizable gambling market, far larger than its island neighbor, New Zealand. Aussies who want to gambler can thank their government for rigorous and top-notch safety protocols that allow only trustworthy gambling platforms on the market. it is one of those jurisdictions that permit legal gambling in mostly physical casinos – Crowns Casinos it unquestionably Aussie’s crown jewel.

The Kiwi gambling market is pretty much carbon copy of Australia. However, only gambling operators which are both locally regulated and licensed can offer gaming services to Kiwis. Interestingly, gambling has never been banned nor outlawed in the entire modern history of New Zealand. As with its commonwealth counterpart, the United Kingdom, New Zealand has no tax attached to gambling winnings – the gambler takes it all home.

Online casino gaming has long been a favorite for Kiwis, as well. The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs is tasked with establishing and enforcing rigorous standards centered on gambling on the island. When it comes to regulation, Australia takes a rather different approach, allowing the central government and territories to enact and maintain gambling laws.

In which country is gambling illegal?

One of the oldest past times, gambling is thought to be as old as humanity itself. Be that as it may, there is still some stigma attached to gambling.

Despite being one of the largest and most lucrative industries in the world, gambling still causes some controversy. Specifically, because there is a high risk of developing addiction to gambling as well as unhealthy gambling habits, gambling is not yet considered to be legal everywhere in the world.

As was already mentioned, governments all over the world are constantly looking for ways to properly legalize and regulate gambling because it is such a lucrative industry.

That said, the following are 10 nations where gambling is still prohibited.

●       Brunei

●       Cambodia

●       Iran

●       Qatar

●       Kuwait

●       Laos

●       North Korea

●       Singapore

●       Saudi Arabia

●       United Arab Emirates

Which country is famous for gambling?

Macau prides itself on being named the Monte Carlo of the East or the gambling capital of the world – that’s a title that the Chinese protectorate deserves. It has some of the most lavish and heavily visited casinos in the world. To answer the question: Macau is the country that is most famous for gambling.

Raking in a little shy of 50% of the country’s GDP, gambling tourism is the largest revenue source in Macau. Stats indicate that the vast majority of gambling tourists coming to Macau arrive from Hong Kong and mainland China. Gambling has long been a taboo in Asia Pacific, which makes Macau more of an outlier than norm.

That being said, there many other countries well-known for gambling…

●       United States – the US is home to two of the biggest gambling destinations (aka Las Vegas and Atlantic City).

●       Monte Carlo – The French Riviera autonomous state is home to Casino de Monte Carlo – The crown jewel of casino gambling in Europe.

●       Australia – Sydney in Australia has previously been dubbed the next Las Vegas. Well-known casinos in Sydney – Crown and The Star

●       Singapore – Three mega casinos call Singapore capital home, welcoming a throng of gambling tourists from Asia

Which countries have legalized online gambling?

Many countries have legalized online gambling …

Countries where Online Gambling Sites are Legal (Per Region)

Australia and New Zealand

Online casino gaming has long been a favorite for New Zealanders. The Department of Internal Affairs is tasked with establishing and enforcing rigorous standards centered on online gambling on the island. When it comes to regulation, Australia takes a rather different approach, allowing the central government and territories to enact and maintain gambling laws.

North America

Online gambling is massively practiced in the North America, most notably in the United States which accounts for up to 70 percent of the world’s gambler base. Its neighbor up north permits online gambling in some territories (read – provinces) but in some areas, it isn’t legal. But the Canadian central government isn’t bothered, as all sorts of online gambling activities are played pretty all over the place in Northern American countries.

Europe

Online gambling is legal in most countries in Europe, but it is regulated by their governments. These countries include Germany, Italy, Hungary, Switzerland, France, Spain, UK, and Belgium.

African

Online gambling is largely outlawed in most African nations. Some nations don’t even bother to include gambling clauses in their laws – maybe limited access to the web is to blame. Nonetheless, some African countries (most notably Mauritius, Kenya, and South Africa) permit online gambling – and best of all, they earn pretty penny from it. Many other African countries like Ivory Coast, Cape Verde, Morocco, and Algeria permit online gambling to a limited extent – that’s to say they allow some basic casino games and sports betting.

Latin America + Caribbean

Online gambling is permitted in some Central American and Caribbean nations, including Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Honduras. Although it is somewhat legal in Mexico, no one should gamble there. Cuba is also not a place where anyone should gamble.

Asian Countries (and Middle East)

The legal status of online gambling varies widely in Asia. In some Asian countries, such as the Philippines, Kazakhstan, and Cambodia, online gambling is legal and regulated by the government. In these countries, there are many licensed online casinos that are available to players.

Macau, Singapore, Thailand, and China have partially legalized online gambling. In India, online gambling is only legal in Goa and Sikkim. Meanwhile, online gambling is completely illegal in Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, and other middle eastern countries.

Is gambling legal in most countries?

Across the world, most countries – the majority in Europe and states in North America – have already passed their laws in the past few decades to allow gambling. Well-known countries where gambling is legal – Canada, US, United Kingdom, Australia, and Sweden. To answer the question – yes, most gambling is legal in most countries.

Leave a Comment