If you have ever been curious to find out details about gambling legislation in some countries in the world, then you are in the right place. Below we talked about gambling laws in some countries and a few interesting ones to add.
Gambling Law
Australia
Australians rely more on offline gambling given that 20% of all gambling machines in the world are in this country! The online market such as the Bocoran Sydney is regulated so that there are gambling sites that have a license, but even those without a license are not banned (not all anyway), and players do not currently risk anything if they choose to play on them. So much so that they are not even helped if they encounter a problem.
Austria
Here the laws are very interesting but quite difficult to understand. There are two types of gambling: “regular” and “fun”. “Fun” gambling can be offered by any company, be it online or offline, but no bets are allowed on stakes higher than € 0.50. This means that if you go to a bar in Austria that has pecan machines, you will not be able to play at higher stakes. “Regular” gambling is offered only by major casinos in the country, and bets on much larger amounts are allowed there. Austrian companies wishing to have an online site need a license, and can only accept players of Austrian nationality. Even so, anyone can still play without problems at international betting sites, so I assume that “regular” and “fun” gambling are only adopted offline because online I don’t really see how it could be.
Belgium
Under the Gambling Act passed in 2009, operators applying for an online betting license are required to have a license for offline betting at the same time. Thus, every operator, regardless of his name, must have at least one casino or a street betting agency. Moreover, The Belgian Gaming Commission only accepts a limited number of operators, so for many bookmakers or online casinos, it is quite difficult to obtain a license.
Singapore
Gambling was regulated at the beginning of 2015, but for a year and a half, not even a license was granted! It was not until October 2016 that Singapore Pools and Turf Club received licenses, but at the time of writing, none of them had yet launched their official website. In the case of Singapore Pools, the official launch date was October 25, 2016. The two operators were finally accepted because they have been offering offline services in Singapore for several decades, plus they are non-profit companies, so all proceeds go to state or for charitable purposes. So under these conditions, it is almost impossible for a foreign operator to obtain an online license in the coming years. The situation is a bit ironic for the country associated by many with the “betting mafia”.
Philippines
The surprise comes from the Philippines, where the gambling market is regulated by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). Although each gambling company has to pay a six-figure amount to obtain a temporary license, no less than 76 operators have already applied for a license! In fact, PAGCOR brings the largest amounts to the state budget after the Tax Service. You can find more about the gambling market in the Philippines in this news.
Conclusion
Certainly, there are countries where the gambling market is better regulated than the other, but there are many countries where the situation is even more complicated. While gambling situations is not that all rosy in many parts of the world, gambling had been recognized and accepted. However, it is the responsibility of the governing body to manage and control the industry.