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Despite the world becoming a smaller and more assimilated place, there are still big differences in some areas of society as well as in different industries.
One of those industries is the online casino market. Differences in rules and regulations can be quite stark when you compare parts of the world. One of the most interesting is the comparison between Asia and North America.
Below, we’ll take a look at these differences in detail, first exploring laws in North America before examining those in Asia. Lastly, we’ll compare and contrast and break down the main distinguishing features.
Gambling laws in North America
North America consists of a diverse range of countries, with some of the largest including the United States, Canada, Mexico and Jamaica.
Gambling laws, especially those relating to online casinos, differ in each country. The US, for example, has a complex set of rules. Up until 2011, online gambling was illegal because of the Wire Act, which prevented betting on sports across state lines.
When the laws were changed, many states changed too. It’s now legal to bet online in nine US states, including New Jersey, Nevada and Iowa.
In Canada, the laws are far more lax. As long as a gambling site is located in a different country, they can operate. It’s believed there are now over 200 online casinos offering services to Canada. Read more about online casinos for real money Canada here.
The situation in Mexico is similar to Canada. Players can bet without breaking any laws, but it isn’t considered fully legal. Due to this lack of regulation, it has allowed untrustworthy sites to enter the market.
What are the rules in Asia?
Asia is a huge continent, consisting of 50 countries. A total of 16 of those countries have legalised online gambling. Despite that, the majority of countries do allow their citizens to bet online.
In China, for example, online gambling is illegal, yet people still bet, using methods such as VPNs and cryptocurrencies to get around restrictions.
Restrictions are also quite severe in other countries, such as Singapore. In Singapore, the government actively blocks access to offshore gambling sites and makes it illegal to play on any unauthorised sites too.
Other countries seek to ban gambling in all forms due to religious views, with Indonesia being one example.
Japan is another country that outlaws online gambling. However, other countries have taken the opposite approach and relaxed laws completely. In Nepal, for example, there are no regulations around online gambling at all.
Some countries take more of a semi-structured approach and allow certain types of online gambling. In India, for example, only online horse racing is permitted by law, but there is no regulation that prevents people from betting with foreign online casinos, meaning people are allowed to gamble.
The biggest differences between the two
Restrictions in Asia are a lot harsher compared to countries in North America. As we’ve seen, many Asian countries just outright ban online casinos and block access to foreign sites. That hasn’t stopped people from betting, however.
Many other countries appear to take a semi-regulated approach, defining some parameters but staying silent on others. While this laissez-faire attitude can help grow an industry, it can come at the expense of players who may fall prey to untrustworthy online casinos.
The biggest issues facing governments is enforcement of rules. As technologies such as VPNs become more widely available, countries have almost become helpless in their efforts to prevent people from gambling.
