Betting Sports Forum: Economy Causes China to Consider Legalized Online Gambling

Betting Sports Forum: Economy Causes China to Consider Legalized Online Gambling

But ministers in the Chinese government are recommending that gaming laws be loosened, potentially leaving the US as the sole most repressive country regarding online casinos.
The US has often been compared to China in its stubborn and aggressive determination to keep online gambling illegal. But ministers in the Chinese government are recommending that gaming laws be loosened, potentially leaving the US as the sole most repressive country regarding online casinos.
Officials governing sports told the Chinese parliament that allowing sports gambling could stop the flow of money to foreign Internet casinos and raise national revenues. Despite prison terms given to both players and operators of online gambling sites, illegal online gambling is estimated to take in ten times as much revenue as the legal lottery.

Deputy sports minister Wang Jun told the Chinese People's Political Consultation Conference that expanding the lottery to allow online gambling on sports and horse racing would reverse the results, leaving China with the bulk of revenue.

"The sports lottery can help create jobs. There are some 300,000 lottery ticket sellers in the country. In Hong Kong, where the legal lottery is well developed, the official business is 10 times as big as the private ones," said Jun.

The popularity of illegal mainland gambling and Macau gaming trips indicates a potentially huge gambling market, should China decide to regulate Internet gambling. Jun told delegates that strong legislative oversight prevents any harm that may come from expanded gambling.


Betting Sports Forum: Economy Causes China to Consider Legalized Online Gambling