Gambling Laws in China
Gambling in China is illegal under the
Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China, as amended in 1997 and the Sixth Amendment to the Criminal Law. Exception from this prohibition is the gambling within the special administrative region of Hong Kong and the autonomous territory Macau. Article 303 of the Criminal Law contains precise definitions of the type of gambling activities that are illegal in the country, allowing for only one exception: the lotteries.
Online gambling in China is also considered to be illegal. The bodies responsible for the regulation of the lotto activities in the country are the Ministry of Civil Affairs, which has been authorized by the State Council to deal with the Welfare Lottery and the China Sports Lottery Administration Centre, regulated by the General Administration of Sport, that deals with the sports lottery. According to
Chinese gambling laws, minors, under 18 years of age are prohibited to participate in any lotto activities.
Is Online Gambling Legal in China?
No, all forms of online gambling are illegal in China, with exception of the state-run lotteries. |
Online Casinos in China
As of June 2018, there are no
online casinos in China. Online gambling in the country is prohibited under Article 303 of the Criminal Law, so no Chinese online casino licenses are on the offer. Although there is an active blockage on any online gambling content, illegal access to
internet casino sites from China is frequently reported by many Asian based online casino providers.
Online Poker in China
Online poker sites in China are not legal, as of June 2018
. Although there are no specific
Chinese online poker laws, the general prohibition on gambling coming from the application of Article 303 of the Criminal Law holds for this game too. Illegal online poker, however, is frequently reported by the authorities of the country.
Online Lottery in China
The Welfare Lottery and the Sports Lottery are the state-licensed providers for all sorts of lotto games in the country. However, they have not launched yet
online lottery in China. The China Welfare Lottery Issuance and Administration Centre and China Sports Lottery Administration Centre are each responsible for the issuance and sales of the Welfare Lottery and Sports Lottery. Foreign
online lotto sites are actively blocked from accessing the Chinese market.
Online Bingo in China
As is the case with the other gambling sites,
online bingo sites in China are not legal, as of June 2018
. Although there are no specific
Chinese online bingo laws, the general prohibition on online gambling in the country holds for this game too.
Online Sports Betting in China
Online sports betting in the country is also regulated with the |Criminal Law. The only
online sportsbook sites in China are run by the Sports Lottery. The betting offer in the country, provided by the Sports Lottery, is quite limited in comparison with the world trends on the internet sportsbook sites. Foreign
internet sportsbook sites are actively being blocked by the authorities.
Online Daily Fantasy Sports in China
Online DFS sites in China do not have a legally regulated status. There is an ongoing debate on the status of this type of game, but considering the legality of the online sports betting in the country offered by the Sports Lottery, it is very probable that
internet Daily Fantasy Sports would receive a legal status in China, once the lottery introduces them on the market.
Available Payment Methods for Online Gambling in China
As you've read above, it is not easy to play online slots in China. However, there are always solutions. If you check out the list above, you will see the best online gambling sites in China. Those also provide many banking opportunities. The most popular online payment method in China is WeChat Pay, with over 1 billion users.
Read our WeChat Pay review to find out all the details about this method!
