If you’ve ever been into the eSports industry, you know pretty well how much China is heavily involved in both gaming and gambling. It has a rich history in eSports, and the legacy continues. Statisticians have said that China is on the verge of overtaking South Korea to become the second-largest eSports market in the whole world. The first one has always been the United States.

The success of eSports in Mainland China, however, isn’t as fast as expected due to the laws that govern eSports betting in the country. Surprisingly, the Chinese government is strictly against gambling.

But, we’re also talking about a country that has one of the most extraordinary betting communities, so you don’t expect it to go away too soon. In fact, enthusiasts have found ways to bypass these laws and still gamble via offshore bookmakers. The online gambling industry is enormous despite the rules. So it’s clear that the gambling community is violating these laws, especially when they’re being welcomed with open arms by gambling sites like Bet365.com.

China Only Supports Lottery Gambling

There are a few games that the Chinese mainland government views as “games of luck.” Poker, chess, and lottery are games of luck; thus, the government doesn’t prohibit them. If you go beyond them, you’re committing a felony in mainland China. In terms of gambling, Mainland China supports only the welfare and sports lottery gambling!

The Laws

Article 303 of the criminal laws of China (2006 Revision) has it that anyone who gathers people for profitable gambling, or makes gambling his profession is subject to punishment by the law. Such an individual is subject to criminal detention, imprisonment for not more than three years, and or fine. Also, the law states that if the case is severe, the punishment also gets more serious.

The law, therefore, doesn’t allow any online bookmakers to operate from within China. The government has also been in a constant war with external online bookmakers, blocking them from accessing the Chinese gambling community. Nevertheless, there are still popular gambling platforms that access this community.

Exceptional Regions

Hong Kong

Having been a British Colony up to 1997, Hong Kong is a special case. It adopted the English common law, and gambling is entirely legal in the area. The Hong Kong Jockey Club controls legal betting here. Horse racing is the main form of sports hosted in Hong Kong, and no other country exceeds it in the amount of revenue generated from horse racing. Approximately, it hosts 700 horse races each twelvemonth.

Macau

This is yet another unique administrative region in China, with special vetting rules, too. Having been a Portuguese colony, it has exceptional laws, just like Hong Kong. Casino and gambling are both legal in this area. eSports betting is entirely acceptable by the law in Macau. Macau is currently the most prominent gaming city in the world, a position it got from Vegas in 2007.

The Bottom Line

While Mainland China prohibits betting, unique administrative regions of the land, Macau and Hong Kong, protect it. Also, external bookmakers have seen an opportunity in the vast population interested in gambling; this, they’ve found a way of accessing it.