The online casino environment remains a favourite pastime for many citizens in European countries, however the same cannot be said for those in Asian countries. Casino gambling has been prohibited in almost every state in Asia for the better part of a century, although that is slowly changing.
Countries like Japan are in the process of developing three integrated resorts in three separate cities, while Vietnam has only started to encourage citizens to access local establishments previously reserved for tourists on a trial basis.
Yet, there are currently many discrepancies, such as the forms of gambling that are permitted in both markets, the views on gambling that each culture holds, or the presence of illicit gambling, that make direct comparisons nearly impossible.
For now, it’s interesting to see how this unfolds as the Asian gambling market is still active, with many Japanese returning to offshore vera and john casino for Japanese players.
Why are casinos controversial in Japan?
Not long after Japan’s laws in gambling were first put forward, on July 20, the government passed legislation that decriminalizes casinos as part of integrated resort complexes.
The government officials claim that the development of integrated resorts – accumulating convention facilities, hotels, retail outlets, restaurants and other entertainment facilities, and casinos – will generate new job prospects, bring crucial additional revenue to local governments, and attract additional visitors to Japan.
Under the new law, three locations around the country have been selected for the first integrated resorts, which are expected to succeed in the mid-2021.
Japan’s prime motivation is the extra money that these operations will generate, although they’ve been diligent in highlighting the drive to attract more foreign tourists to the Vera and john entertainment environment and build new hotels. In turn, this is expected to drive the construction sector and generate new employment opportunities, especially in locations where the young workforce leave for careers in the big cities.
Unlike the European countries where everyone is more or less familiar with this market – in Japan, not everyone is convinced by the government’s promises. According to a survey, 64.8% of people said they disagree with casinos and while a mere 26.7% are in favour.
How do the West and the East See Gambling?
The European countries are self-governing and autonomous, all following the same EU legislation. The thing is, there is no single EU legislation that is specific to any countries regarding gambling services, meaning that states themselves have to regulate their own gambling service. Meanwhile, other countries have no laws that ban any sort of casino game. The only European state where gambling is extremely regulated is Belgium. Apart from regulations, many legitimate online websites like Vera and John have emerged to offer innovative content and help players pick the right game.
In Asia, online gambling is massively illegal, save for Singapore, Macau and recently Vietnam, with numerous conditions attached. Citizens in those states can gamble at casinos, however, there are many laws in place to minimize the amount of gambling and overcome gambling addiction cases. Japan maintains its place on the list of counties that permit online gambling only on offshore websites like Vera and John casino and only three physical locations with a potential of construction of integrated resorts.
Discrepancies in Gambling Habits
In the western world, gambling habits resemble those in America. Since gambling is legal and can be enjoyed by residents, games like blackjack, roulette and poker, among others, are very popular. Betting on sports is also incredibly popular, especially betting on football and horse racing. As for online gambling habits, not all games are allowed in some countries.
For the Asian gambling audience, those who would like a casino experience would usually travel to Singapore or Macau or resume to offshore platforms like vera and john casino. Since online gambling is mostly illegal, with a few exceptions approved by the government, other forms of gambling are allowed.
For instance, playing the lottery is extremely popular in China, with a revenue of 1.4 trillion yuan since 1994. Sports betting is also common in Japan, and bettors can wager on either motorcycle racing, horse racing or powerboat racing, which generated over $27 billion in revenue last year. One of the most common gambling activities, also known as the arcade game, is pachinko – a traditional pinball-like game that generated over $200 billion per year.
How will the future of gambling look like in the East?
There are parts of Asia where gambling becomes more acceptable as time goes on, with one major market emerging as a possible midpoint of activity, India.
With over 1.3 billion inhabitants, India is slowly but surely catching into online gambling, hyped somewhat by the fact that the number of mobile users across the state is mounting ear after year.
For states like India, there’s currently no specific gambling legislation that governs online gambling (besides the Public Gambling Act of 1867, which rule only land-based casinos and betting shops), offshore casinos are able to operate among Indian hard-hitters. The only legal obligation for casino operators across the country is that they allow gamblers to use Indian Rupees as a payment mode.
Sports betting is also gaining terrain in India – and it looks like general legislation will arrive in the not-so-distant future so that the officials can reap the much-needed financial rewards.
More countries across Asia are now beginning to unwind their attitude towards gambling, yet mainly for the sake of tourism. South Korea currently operates a single land-based casino in which residents can play. In the meantime, gambling regulations in the Philippines seem to work unexpectedly well. China, on the other hand, is highly unlikely that wagering outside designated zones will thrive any time soon, but states outside of their direct sphere of influence may well make progress changes towards legislation in the future.