Official language: Mandarin
Population: 23,037,031
Currency: Taiwan Dollar (TWD)

Current Exchange Rate
1 EUR = 47.8199 TWD
1 GBP = 51.0792 TWD
1 USD = 32.3020 TWD

Poker in Taiwan
The poker craze that has swept across Europe and Asia during the past decade has not made much of an impact in Taiwan. Or at least if it has, it does not show. The reason for this is that until very recently, most gambling in the country was illegal. It was certainly not allowed to play poker games for money. However, soon things will begin to change. Recent legislation in Taiwan has legalized casino gambling, and large-scale gambling centers are being built as of early 2009.

Soon there will be plenty of places to play poker in Taiwan. While casinos are only licensed to operate offshore, in Island areas like Penghu, there will be dozens of casinos opening there during the next decade. Many will offer poker tables, and once poker in Taiwan begins to be more popular, Taiwanese poker tournaments will start to emerge as well.

Online Poker in Taiwan
There are no specific regulations in Taiwan that talk about online poker. While casinos are on their way to the country, online poker rooms and other gambling sites in Taiwan are not on the horizon. Eventually the government might decide to change the laws, and to offer licenses to local and foreign gambling companies allowing them to provide real money poker games on the internet in Taiwan.

Until this happens, players looking for Taiwanese online poker use foreign casino and poker websites. These are sites hosted in other countries and are not run by Taiwanese companies, so the government cannot shut them down. Players in Taiwan are not always accepted at foreign online poker sites, but many places do accept Taiwanese players, and some may even offer online poker games that cater specifically to players from Taiwan.