As you will probably have gathered, China is not a country where online gambling is legal. Despite that, there are exceptions when it comes to land-based betting, and this all makes China worthy of a closer look. You’ll be hard-pressed to find an array of top websites to bet at, with most of the best online casinos in China being based offshore. Nonetheless, we attempt to help any Chinese players who want to wager at online casinos find the ideal place to bet. Let us begin, then, by looking at the gambling laws of this vast Far Eastern country.

An Overview of Gambling in China

China

The Criminal Law of China was amended in 1997 (the Sixth Amendment) to categorically state that gambling in mainland China is illegal. Both Hong Kong and Macau have received exemptions from this law. However, how long Hong Kong’s exceptions are going to law remains to be seen, given recent events in the special administrative region.

AHTI Games Casino is a fresh and modern online casino allowing members to enter the kingdom filled with a selection of games which include slots. Fairspin Casino Spinomenal, NetEnt, Microgaming and 40 more. In free online China River slot game that is done in a smooth manner, with 20 different step-ups available, from just a penny to maximum of $15, meaning wager is could be set in a range of $0.30 – 510. This sets this casino to a smaller bunch of those who offer volatility all the way from low to the highest end of the scale. Chinese online casinos don't exist - in the sense that online casinos are prohibited from operating out of mainland China. Online casinos aimed at Chinese players are based in other countries and territories where the business is licensed and legalized.

To date, both Hong Kong and Macau are permitted to run land-based gambling enterprises, although the venues must only be visited by tourists. No Chinese nationals are permitted to play in brick and mortar casinos or other land-based gambling establishments.

Lotteries are deemed legal and are run by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Regulated by the General Administration of Sport, lottery games and even sports betting (to a degree) can be played under certain circumstances. Where does this leave online gambling, though?

Online casino gambling (in all its forms) are considered illegal in China. The Chinese Government has issued blacklists and prohibits Chinese players from accessing offshore casinos and betting sites. Chinese players with very good VPNs (virtual private software) have managed to find a way around this at times, but there are punishments in place for any Chinese nationals caught gambling at foreign sites, and they can be severe, including both fines and imprisonment.

Chinese nationals who wish to gamble tend to do so in land-based casinos in other Asian countries. The Philippines, Vietnam, Australia, South Korea and Singapore are all known to run land-based casino resorts, and many Chinese nationals take advantage of these when on holiday. There are no Chinese laws which state that this is illegal when overseas.

China’s Most Played Casino Games

There are not many games that you can get away with playing in China. Because of this, it is better than we take a look at the typical online casino games that you can find anywhere else, and discuss their legality in the Asian country.

Online Casino Games: All online casino games are illegal in China. The country has no licensed online casinos and does not allow its nationals or residents to bet on online casino games. As a result, casino games are not that popular with Chinese nationals. However, some of the world’s highest rollers are Chinese, and illegal baccarat and roulette games are popular. Macau even has its own baccarat games, such as Baccarat Squeeze which have begun to spread to the Western world.

Poker Games: Poker is more popular than online slot games, and there are quite a few poker pros in China. However, this game is also deemed illegal. While there are no official poker sites for you to play at, Chinese players do tend to sign up at offshore sites where they can in order to play online.

Lottery Games: China has authorised lottery games, but these must be run by either the Welfare Lottery or the Sports Lottery. These are the only two licensed providers of lottery games. No online lottery yet exists, but they are believed to be in the pipeline. China actively bans offshore lottery websites, but that hasn’t stopped Chinese players from trying their hand at such sites.

Bingo Games: Bingo games are illegal. They are not considered the same as lottery games in China like other countries deem them to be. The general rules which forbid gambling in China also apply to bingo games.

Sports Betting: Sports betting is regulated by China. However, Chinese players are only entitled to play at those which are licensed and run by the Sports Lottery. Naturally, betting options are limited, so many Chinese sports betting fines turn to offshore sites to wager on a larger array of markets. Once again, China tries to block access to these sites.

Taxes on Big Wins at Chinese Casinos

Taxes

The tax laws for online gambling in China are quite straightforward to understand. As no operators are licensed out of China (save for state-run sites), there are no gambling taxes to be paid. Any operators catering to Chinese nationals do so illegally, and thus do not pay tax to the country.

Chinese citizens are not subject to gambling taxes for the same reason. As there are no laws in place which legalise gambling, there cannot be any laws which tax Chinese citizens on any winnings they land.

The Best Chinese Online Casinos to Join Today

The best Chinese online casinos are those which are not based in China at all. This much goes without saying. While there are many top casinos and betting sites out there which cater to Chinese players, there are also a few which should be avoided. Here are a few of the things to look for in Chinese online casinos:

Major Brands: You will note that many of the major brands which aim their services at Chinese players tend to be based offshore. These can often be found sponsoring Premier League football teams. These are the safest sites to play at, as they are internationally renowned, and thus often under the microscope. We’d recommend heading to one of these multi-purpose gambling sites, as not only are they trustworthy – they also offer up sports betting and poker alongside casino games.

VPN Accepted: China actively enforces its ISPs (internet service providers) to blacklist all foreign casinos and betting sites. Because of this, any site that you do choose to play at will need to accept players using VPNs. Not all casinos do this, but those that do will be immediately appealing to Chinese players.

Chinese Language and Currency: For Chinese players who speak English, there is a wide variety of top casinos for them to play at. However, not everybody can speak English. For those who can’t, a casino needs to offer gameplay and support in Chinese. Fortunately, many of the larger, more internationally renowned domains provide this service. Moreover, a good number of international casinos also accept the Chinese yuan renminbi currency, to boot.

Safe Gameplay: Even though all online casinos in China are illegal, you still need to be careful and safe. Because of this, the best online casinos in China will be those which hold a valid gambling license out of a reputable jurisdiction. They will also offer player protections, promote responsible gaming, and provide offers and deals (including fair terms and conditions) to Chinese players.

Gambling online in China is not easy, and is in some cases risky. Getting caught can see you in a world of trouble. It is, therefore, essential that you pick the right site to play at. Any of the sites recommended here are ideal for Chinese players and provided you use an excellent VPN; you should be safe playing at them.

StatesOnlineCasino reviews China casino games and online betting sites in CN.

Chinese Gambling Laws

Gambling is legal in China. There are several major Chinese lotteries, while Macau is the center of casino gambling in China.

Macau, also spelled Macao, has 30 casinos, some of them among the largest in the world. Famous Las Vegas entities like MGM, the Sands and Steve Wynn have their own properties in Macau. Dog racing and horse racing is also legal in Macau.

In north of China in Yantai City, a cruise ship casino is found. Chinese are allowed to gamble online, though new restrictions against online lottery tickets went into effect in the last year.

Cruise Ship Casinos in China

Xiang Xue Lan (Yantai City) – The cruise ship Xiang Xue Lan in Yantai City, China is the only Chinese casino found outside of Macau. The Xiang Xue Lan Hotel houses a 24-hour casin on Jiefang Road in Yantai City. Call the Xiang Xue Lan phone number at +86 535 6212 290, or fax at +86 535 6214 196.

Yantai is a city in the northeastern part of China, in the Shandong province on the North China plain. Yantai City is found southeast of Beijing and north up the coast from Shanghai. Yantai is a port on the entrance to Bohai Bay at the mouth of the Yellow Sea, and is across the Korea Bay from the Korean Peninsula.

Lottery Games in China

The China Sports Lottery is the largest lottery in China. It can be found at www.lottery.gov.cn. Hong Kong HKJC Lotteries Ltd. is also a large Chinese-language lotto company, so large that the lottery is the #1 tax payer in Hong Kong.

Finally, international companies like Betex Group PLC out of the United Kingdom has a Chinese-language lottery site, with offices in Hong Kong and Beijing. Unfortunately, lottery gaming online is now strictly limited in China.

Online Lottery Laws in China

The PRC announced the Provisional Rules for the Administration of Issue and Sales of Lottery, which prohibits Chinese citizens from engaging in online lottery ticket sales. The Chinese Ministry of Finance, the General Administration of Sport and the Ministry of Civil Affairs were the PRC entities which jointly announced the decree.

Before the law went into effect in 2008, Chinese gamblers could buy lottery tickets online at Chinese-language sites operated by VODONE. VoDONE operated the Lottery Channel, which sold online tickets. The Lottery Channel has been shut down and VODONE has moved on to other industries, claiming lottery tickets were a small part of their business.

China Sports Lottery Printing Limited, or the CSLP, is working in conjunction with Scientific Games to build a lottery ticket printing facility on the grounds of an existing CSLP facility in China. This deal was signed in February 2008. The two companies will have a joint partnership for 15 years and Scientific Games’ profits will be based on a percentage of the number of tickets sold.

Online Gambling in China

Online casino gambling is legal in China, though online lottery is illegal. There are many different online casinos which cater to Chinese gamblers, such as Betex and Bodog out of the U.K.

For instance, Bodog Entertainment is focusing resources on tapping the Chinese online gaming market. Bodog owner, Calvin Ayre, says he wants to make Bodog into an “online Macau”, China’s casino province. Bodog has established a hotline for speakers of Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese. Bodog also recently launched a Chinese ad campaign in the Chinese online media and print media. Evelyn Ng is featured in this campaign.

Chinese Horse Racing

The Chinese government is in the process of making horse racing and pari-mutuel wagers legal in China for the first time since 1949. If horsetrack gambling is legalized, the first Chinese horse races could take place as early as 2009.

The new horse track will be built in Wuhan in the Hubei Province by the Orient Lucky Horse Group Cooperation. Estimates are that Chinese pari-mutuel wagering could bring in $13 billion per year in revenues, though Chinese officials are quick to point out that gambling might not be legalized.

Online Casino China

The creation of horse tracks are another sign of the growing middle class in China. A middle class wants entertainment venues where they can spend their disposable income and a horse track is another spending option. If the trial period goes well, betting on horse races will be another of those options.

Professional Poker in China

China Gambling

The China Leisure Sports Administrative Center and the China National Traktor Poker Tour crowned its first professional poker champions in the fall of 2007. The competition was held in Lanzhou, Ganzu and were held in conjunction with the World Poker Tour Enterprises. The WPTE recognized the champions, which won an all-Chinese tournament of 418 competitors. Traktor Poker is a traditional Chinese card game.

Macau Gambling

Chinese Macau is one of the major gambling cities in the world. By some estimates, Macau or Macao passed Las Vegas in gambling revenues in 2007, making Macao arguably the new gambling capital of the world.

Because Macau is such a large gambling venue, World Gambling Review has given Macau its own separate page on this site. Click on the following link to read a full recap of gambling in Macau.

Hong Kong Gambling

We also have a separate page for gaming in Hong Kong, another special administrative district of China. Click on the following link to read a full recap of gambling in Hong Kong.