When it comes to sports betting in Asia, the situation is a bit complex. Asia is the largest continent in the world with numerous countries that have their own sports betting regulations and habits.
I’ve prepared a guide for people new to sports betting in Asia, going through all the relevant information that you are going to need to start betting safely. Here are the things we’re going to go through in this guide:
Things will get complicated after a while since, unlike the US, there is no federal law regulating things across the board. Each Asian country has a separate law for its territory, and yes, some even have exceptions from those laws.
I’m going to isolate the most interesting cases, so I don’t purely focus on the legal side of things.
1 |
 |
50% up to $1000 (T&C apply. 18+)50% Welcome BonusA MINIMUM deposit of $55.00 is required to qualify for the bonus. |
 |
|
|
2 |
 |
50% up to $250 (T&C apply. 18+) |
 |
|
Asia has a long history of betting – some sources indicate that Asian people have been betting for longer than 5000 years! This long history of betting has translated into the present as the Asian betting market is the biggest one in the world.
Due to the wide popularity of sports betting in Asia, the stakes and odds tend to be a bit more generous than the rest of the world.
Still, not all countries have a loose regulatory system when it comes to sports betting, but this is something we’re going to focus on in the following chapter.
Like in a lot of places around the world, the most popular betting sport in Asia is soccer, but that’s not the only one.
Soccer
Soccer (or football), is the most popular sport in Asia and therefore it is the most popular sport to bet on here. Asians are very into all the best European soccer leagues, primarily the English Premier League and the Spanish La Liga.
They also keep up with their national and local leagues. The quality and popularity of a league vary from country to country, but they usually have a decent following.
Baseball
Baseball, a sport that originated in the US, first spread to Japan and from there to Korea, Taiwan and many other eastern, and central Asian countries. In some places, the popularity of baseball surpasses soccer.
Badminton
Astonishingly, in a lot of places in Asia, badminton is the most popular sport. In other places, it is in the top two or three favourite competitive sports. Naturally, the popularity of a sport usually reflects back to its popularity in betting circles.
Basketball
NBA is a world-wide phenomenon, but Euro Basketball is also popular in some Asian countries. This is especially true for those that actually compete in the European championship like Turkey.
Table Tennis
There are numerous reasons why Table Tennis also known as ping-pong is so popular in Asia. First of all, the sport requires little room, the equipment is affordable, and it is a sport of deep finesse and precision. It is also very exciting to watch as it is fast and very dynamic.
UFC & One
Mixed martial arts are growing ever more popular around the world. There’s been an influx in bets on fights organised by both UFC and its Asian twin organisation, ONE.
Not all fights get the same popularity. However, matches that include Connor McGregor, Jose Aldo, Nate Diaz and other fan favourites get some serious attention.
Muay Thai
Popular largely in Thailand and the surrounding countries, Muay Thai has long been the betting sport of preference in the region. It’s popularity grew ever since the fighting style was accepted and popularised in mixed martial arts, so now it’s getting an even bigger international following.
Asia is the biggest gambling market in the world currently, but the legality of gambling in some of its largest countries is quite complicated.
In the last decade or so, there has been an expansion of online betting and gambling. These tech advancements have also been seen in the form of apps for tablets and phones.
The demand is growing at a rapid pace, and there’s been a significant impact on the regulatory aspect of betting in many countries.
I’m going to try and shed some light on the state of things in some of Asia’s biggest and more complex sports betting markets without losing you along the way.
China
As with a lot of other things that can be addictive in nature, China has stringent policies when it comes to betting, online or otherwise. Most players in China tend to use internationally licensed websites and apps. That’s because promoters, agents, and company owners that are based in China are pursued by the authorities.
Keep in mind that the players that partake in these activities are not under the risk of being arrested. The options are quite limited due to the way things are regulated.
Still, there are places in China where betting and gambling are allowed.
Macau
One of those places is Macau, and most of China’s land-based betting and gambling establishments are located here. Most Chinese people go to Macau to get their betting kicks. However, even though Macau offers a lot of options for gambling, sports betting is not their strong side.
Players can bet on only two sports, soccer and basketball. There are only 10 outlets where you can place these bets called Macau Slots as they are all controlled by one sports bookie. This leaves a lot to be the desired when it comes to sports betting.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong kind of falls into a regulatory gray area with some betting activities allowed while others still being outlawed. The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKKC) controls most betting activities which include soccer betting, horse race betting, and lottery.
Mahjong is another legal activity in Hong Kong while poker is kind of in the half-legal sphere.
Taiwan
This is another place within Chinese jurisdiction that has a partially lenient attitude towards sports gambling.
The only safe way for people to bet on sports in Taiwan is through the Taiwan Sports Lottery. Unfortunately, this organisation gives betters very poor odds and only a few options in terms of diversity of games.
Due to this, Taiwanese people usually go for international betting websites through using Skrill and EntroPay, which are not entirely legal but are not under the jurisdiction of their government.
Japan
Japan is another country that keeps a tight leash on gambling operations. Most gambling and betting are strictly forbidden and punishable by law.
There are, however, a few legal forms of betting in Japan. These include lottery, scratch cards, and betting on horse racing, bicycle racing, motorcycle racing, powerboat racing and football betting but only in the form of pari-mutuel betting.
For those that don’t know what pari-mutuel betting is, it’s a betting type that includes sharing the entire winning pool among all winning bets.
Still, the Japanese use foreign betting websites to bet on fixed odds. These include live sports and other otherwise forbidden forms of betting.
South Korea
Most gambling is forbidden in South Korea with the exception of the lottery, horse racing, and a few types of sports betting that are, of course, all state-controlled. For South Korean citizens, it’s even considered a criminal activity to gamble outside the borders of South Korea.
As in most places in Asia with strict gambling laws, Koreans place bets through regional betting websites that have support for the Korean language and provide easy payment options. As far as international websites go, they are a bit more tricky to use as it is more difficult to make a deposit and withdraw winnings.
The Philippines
Gambling and betting are legal in the Philippines for the most part. Two distinct organisations control betting and gambling in this country: the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (also known as PAGCOR) and the Cagayan Freeport of the Cayagan Special Economic Zone (Cagayan Freeport) .
Many international online gambling and betting organisations hold the Philippine gambling license. It’s a bit pricier than other licenses, but it’s worth it, as the taxes are very beneficial to international companies. The full cost of getting a new license is around $90,000, and the renewal cost is $40,000.
The Philippines have the fastest growing i-Gaming market in the world, and we’re going to continue seeing this growth in the following years.
Singapore
Singapore might be among the strictest market for betting and gambling in the region. They’ve banned a lot of offshore betting sites and companies and made online betting on unauthorised websites a criminal offense.
Under Singapore’s Remote Gambling Acts, all forms of remote gambling services, promotions, marketing, and other activities are strictly banned. The only organisations that have the right to deal with gambling are local, non-profit organisations.
Vietnam
This is another Asian country with strict gambling laws in place but with leniency towards online betting and gambling through regional and international websites. They also have a thriving underground gambling community that covers sports betting, poker, casino games, etc.
Gambling remains quite popular in Vietnam despite the restrictions by the government, but I’d recommend avoiding underground betting dens and focusing on online options – it is much safer.
India
India, being one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, has started seeing a considerable growth of online betting and gambling activity among its citizens. The widespread availability of internet access allows people to place bets on regional and international betting websites.
As for the legal side of things, the only betting truly allowed in India is the lottery and horse racing. Still, due to outdated legislation, online gambling organisations keep operating unrestricted for the most part. If you took a look at their law, you’d be quite unsure if online gambling is legal or not.
Under their Foreign Exchange Management Act, all online bets need to be placed using Rupees. However, the truth is that most Indian players use online wallets like Skrill and PayPal to place their bets. This removes any restrictions when it comes to currency.
Thailand
Amazingly, this is yet another country that formally lists only horse racing and lottery as their only legal betting options. Most Thai visit casinos in Cambodia, Laos, or Burma to satisfy their betting desires. What’s more, they can even place bets through online means and collect their money in person.
The Thai mostly use online betting websites that are based in either the UK or the Philippines. They mostly prefer sports betting but don’t shy away from casino games either.
The local bookies are more popular in Thailand, I’ve found, due to the process of depositing money being much easier.
Furthermore, they have localised their interface for easier use. On the other hand, UK-based online betting websites offer a greater variety of betting options and are more trustworthy.
Indonesia
Let’s keep things short – the lottery is legal, and everything else is not. But guess what? Online gambling isn’t regulated, so all bets are off, or on, you get it.
Malaysia
This is the first instance where religion is directly impacting the law and who can and cannot gamble. More than half of the population in Malaysia is Muslim and is governed under Sharia law.
Naturally, all Muslim citizens are forbidden from partaking in gambling activities, but this also includes any tourists of the Muslim faith.
The Chinese part of the population and non-Muslim tourists are free to partake in gambling activities.
Lebanon
Online gambling was allowed in Lebanon until 2013 when it was banned. The monopoly was then handed to the Casino du Liban which holds it until today.
There are a number of Asian countries that are under strict Muslim laws and do not allow gambling of any kind. These include:
- Pakistan
- Bangladesh
- United Arab Emirates
- Qatar
- Bahrain
- Brunei
- Kuwait
Being that Asia is the largest continent in the world, I don’t have the room to go into each country individually. This is why I decided to cover only those countries that have a complex and more restrictive legal system when it comes to betting.
Still, the trend is quite obvious through all of these countries. Land-based betting venues are losing ground to their online counterparts due to improved convenience and in a lot of places, safety.
Being that sports betting options are quite diverse and vary wildly from one country to the next, we’re going to stick with the most popular sport across Asia, which is soccer.
Let’s go through a few of the most popular soccer betting types in Asia. A lot of these are a match to those betters can make in Europe and the US, but there are a few unique ones as well.
- 1×2 – Your basic betting options that include betting on whether the home team wins, the away team wins, or on the game ends in a draw.
- Asian Handicap – Also known as Hang Cheng is the traditional way that the Asians used to bet on soccer. This means that the home team comes in with a (-0.5) handicap while the away team gets a (+0.5) positive handicap. In a draw situation, the away team wins. In this system, there is no option to bet on the outcome of the game is a draw.
- First goal – Betting on who will get the first goal in a game.
- Last goal – Betting on who will get the last goal in a game.
- Total goals – Betting on how many goals there will be in total.
- Odd or Even – Betting on if the total goals will amount to an odd or an even number.
- Exact score – Betting on the exact score at the end of the match (usually a good way to improve small stakes)
- Half Time and Full Time – Betting on the winners of both halves. For each part of the match, you can choose one of the three options: Home, Away, or Draw. There are unique odds for each individual combination.
- Over or Under – The number is set by the bookmaker, and you bet if the number of goals scored will be over or under the proposed value.
Now, being that across Asia, most online sports betting options boil down to regionally focused websites, it’s safe to say that most websites have some unique features and betting options. This includes unique betting formats, a variety of sports, and different odds.
The situation with sports betting in Asia is a bit more complicated than, let’s say, EU or US. The laws vary from place to place. In some areas, international websites are available while they are completely banned in others.
There are a few betting havens, so to speak, like Macau and the Philippines, but aside from these, you’ll have to check what the local laws say about online sports betting.
If you are unsure how things are done locally, you can always go out and do some research on forums or Reddit or even ask the locals. Just make sure you are not breaking the law, and you should be fine.
As far as which combinations give the best odds, which providers provide the most options and other related tactical stuff, it depends mostly on personal choice.
If you have tactics that you think are unique or know something about the Asian sports betting market that we might have missed, feel free to leave us a comment or two.
This is quite a complex region when it comes to betting, and I’d like to hear from people who have more experience playing.
Is it legal to place a sports bet in Asia?