How Gambling Legislation Differs Around The World

(Sponsored) Sometimes it is easy to become cynical and think that everything has become bland with homogeneity a global phenomenon.

While that often appears to be true, scratch a little way beneath the surface, and you will find that even global brands operate differently or are formulated differently depending on the market or country they are operating in.

The same but different

Coca-Cola is an excellent example of differentials. While the branding is recognised globally, the taste is not so universal. What creates the difference is the type of sweeteners used and the total amount of sugar added.

Coca-Cola in the US and Canada is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, while other regions use cane sugar. However, Coca-Cola has very recently announced that it will change its US formulation after being urged to do so by President Trump.

McDonald’s is another example of a global brand that has instant brand recognition. However, the menus and meals on offer vary significantly from country to country.

In France, for example, crudites and a glass of wine are on offer, while Canadian outlets have poutine, and you can order a shrimp beef burger when visiting an outlet in South Korea.

A global gamble

If you look at the gambling industry, you will see that the same differences apply. While there are global games and companies operating gambling facilities, there are loads of local variations.

This is true whether you are looking at the most popular games, the most popular casino and sports betting brands, or the laws that govern what they can do. What you find is a blend of local taste, which is often driven by cultural influences and legislative codes that determine what is and is not allowed.

The fascinating thing is that, regardless of gambling legislation, gambling happens on a global scale. It is popular and part of human nature, which is why Brazil launched its regulated online gambling market at the start of the year.

Why legislate

What legislators claim to do is to seek ways to protect their citizens. This can be achieved through various means, including total bans, state-run gambling services, or fully regulated and controlled commercial markets.

Gambling legislation evolves constantly to keep pace with new developments. There can be no denying that the internet shook up gambling legislation, and most countries and states were left scrambling to catch up.

Even the UK, which was seen as a model of market liberation and regulation, underestimated just how impactful online gambling would be. Meanwhile, in the US, every state is responsible for its own gambling legislation.

Ironically, while Las Vegas is the self-proclaimed gambling capital of the world, it is very resistant to allowing online gambling (other than poker), presumably because it fears the knock-on effect on its brick-and-mortar casinos and multi-billion dollar entertainment sector.

Gambling to boost the economy

However, New Jersey took the opposite view. It too is a gambling destination with Atlantic City at the heart of its economy. However, the legislators here took the gamble that opening up to online gambling would not only benefit its residents but also boost its depleted coffers.

While players get to access instant withdrawal of their winnings at the state’s online casinos, the state is withdrawing excellent tax revenues from the licensed online casino platforms.

Players need to have their wits about them to avoid stumbling onto an unlicensed, offshore gambling platform, but reviewers like Casino.org are on hand to find the best services to suit every player’s choices in all the states where online gambling is legal.

Looking at Europe

Essentially, every jurisdiction has a unique take on gambling, and many factors inform their decisions. Every country has different restrictions for different reasons. Some government bodies monopolize their territories.

Why we may think of Scandinavian countries as being open, permissive, and progressive, but Finland and Norway still have exclusive state-run online gambling platforms.

While gambling is legal in Poland, it is strictly regulated by the Gambling Act and mostly run under a state monopoly. France, for all its liberty, fraternity, and equality, still has product restrictions on online gambling.

When is it legal and when is it not?

What is also confusing is that countries (in both Europe and beyond) regulate different kinds of gambling in varying ways.

• One country or state might allow trackside gambling, but have different rules depending on location.
• Land-based casino games are regulated differently from their online variants, and poker is often classified differently again.
• Lotteries frequently come under different rulings, and bingo is yet another one.
• Confusingly, sports betting does not usually cover horse racing, and dog racing is another subset.
• The UK, which is traditionally regarded as one country for gambling law, has seen greyhound racing banned in Wales (which is a separate country within the UK with its own government).

Gambling Bans

While gambling was once largely prohibited across the US, it is now possible to gamble legally (in some form or another) almost everywhere, except for Utah and Hawaii.

However, there are countries like Jordan that completely ban all gambling activities and have never issued any licenses or allowed any operators.

Countries with a complete ban on sports betting include Algeria, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Cuba, North Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and the United Arab Emirates.

However, even in China, state-run lotteries are permitted, and wealthy Chinese tourists flock to the special administrative district of Macau to spend fortunes at high-end casinos.

Ironically, Macau is the world’s largest gambling hub, despite being part of China, but the era of its unrivalled fortunes is coming to an end.

Turning a blind eye

The alternative to market regulation or imposing bans is to turn a blind eye to gambling, particularly online gambling.

While this might seem like the path of least resistance, it does mean that countries and states lose out on revenues from gambling taxes, and citizens are at increased risk from gambling harms and scam operators.

New Zealand, whose residents are famously fond of the pokies, does not allow online platforms to operate from within the country but does not prevent its citizens from playing at offshore sites.

It’s complicated

If gambling and legislators around the globe were in a relationship, it is safe to say that if asked the status of that relationship the answer would be “”It’s complicated””.

There does not seem to be a perfect solution, although judging by its results, the Canadian province of Ontario with its fully regulated commercial market for all forms of gambling might beg to differ.