It is important for players, suppliers of gambling equipment, and operators. This article has been written to inform the reader about some general principles of laws around the world.
What is gambling and how is it defined in different parts of the world?
The word ‘gambling’ is difficult to define and it can vary from country to country. While for some people, gambling means playing the lottery or buying a lottery ticket, for others gambling refers to playing at any casino like n1 casino Canada or roulette table. For yet another group of people, they will consider as gambling only those activities that are not allowed by the law in their country.
The definition of gambling will also vary depending on whether it is defined in terms of moral or legal standards. There are countries where betting on sports is considered to be legal while participating in lotteries, playing casino-style games (where there is a house dealer), and wagering on dog races are illegal.
The legal definition of gambling is attributed to the state’s authority to regulate certain types of wagering activities. It also involves consideration as to whether the wagering activities are considered as ‘games of skill’, ‘games of chance’, or another form.
Gambling laws in different countries
Different countries have different laws regulating gambling activities. In China, for example, commercial casinos are not allowed to operate but certain provinces have been given permission by the central government to allow foreign companies to manage and own a limited number of casinos in designated areas.
In the United Kingdom, only people over 18 years old can legally gamble at casinos or play bingo.
France legalized casinos only in the 1990s, after previously banning these establishments. Lotteries are illegal in France but players can wager on horse races at tracks and purchase lottery tickets from authorized sellers. Sports betting is allowed in France as well as many other European countries including Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
A few Western countries have banned or restricted gambling activities for a period of time – including the United States during the early to mid-1900s and Australia from the 1930s until 1984.
In predominantly Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, casinos are illegal but commercial lotteries are allowed if they support charitable causes. Lotteries are also legal in most Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt, Iran, and Turkey.
In the United States, lotteries are legal in 44 states while casinos can be found in Nevada, New Jersey, and three other states. Sports betting is also allowed in a few US jurisdictions.
The United Nations has placed gambling activities in its World Health Organization’s list of addictions but does not condemn the practice. At the same time, it does not encourage gambling either.
The impact of online gambling on traditional casinos
Online gambling has also been regulated in various countries. In the United States, many states allowed online poker websites to operate but this was stopped when the Department of Justice declared that these sites were breaking the law.
Many jurisdictions around the world have not yet come up with specific laws for online wagering and some countries such as China and South Africa keep their online legislation vague.
Other countries, such as South Korea and India introduced laws to ban citizens from playing on websites based outside their countries while some other countries are still trying to come up with laws to regulate the industry.
The future of gambling regulation
Since online gambling has different modes of gameplay, it is hard for lawmakers to come up with one specific law that will govern all kinds of wagering activities. It might be easier for legislators to take a piecemeal approach where laws are created for traditional means of gaming first before these are applied to other areas such as online games.
So far, it seems that policymakers are not trying to stifle the growth of online gambling but more likely encourage the industry by bringing into play new laws that will be beneficial for everyone.
