China Bet

Two forms of gambling are officially legal in China while all other forms are prohibited. The national Welfare Lottery and Sports Lottery are both administered by the government and act as the sole form of sanctioned betting in the country. Together, the two state lotteries bring in north of $US40 billion per year (¥245 billion).

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As impressive a number as that may be, the underground gambling industry does much better. Multiple sources have estimated that the illegal gambling market in China is at least 10 times larger than the national lottery. It’s obvious there’s a bit of a discrepancy between what the country’s gambling laws proclaim and what the people actually do.

Best Chinese Betting Sites

China Best (517) 540-0888 138 W Highland Rd, Howell, MI 48843 © 2021 All Rights Reserved Accessibility. China CBA Live Odds Chinese Basketball Betting Lines There are currently no lines available for this sport. Either there are no odds open to bet on, or the sport is not in season at this time. Since all the possible forms of gambling, both online and offline are blocked, the Chinese online betting scene is 100% composed of international bookies offering their services to Chinese players. So, the simple answer to the “Is online sports betting legal in China?” question is a definite no. Sports Betting in China Betting on football and other sports through the government operated China Sports Lottery is popular. European football and American basketball betting is available in most cities. In this form of pool/lotto betting, the payout is determined by the volume of wagers placed by other people.

This isn’t surprising for any of us living in China. Gambling is everywhere. The state lottery has outlets all over the place while people routinely host social games at home. Criminal groups operate full-fledged underground casinos and clandestine Chinese betting sites. It doesn’t require much of an effort to find some sort of game in your neighborhood.

Offshore online casinos are doing big business in China as well. The Chinese government has had a tough time regulating these because they operate out of countries such as the UK and the Philippines where internet wagering is 100% legal and regulated. Chinese authorities have no method to shut these sites down other than using the Great Firewall internet censorship program in an attempt to block access to gaming websites.

Out of all the forms of gambling available in China, I would have to say foreign gaming sites offer the best value and greatest degree of safety. The Chinese lottery has terrible odds and is subject to high taxation. Underground casinos are fraught with danger and a lack of regulation. Foreign websites, on the other hand, offer the great combination of safety, convenience and value.

China is an extremely valuable market for internet casinos. A population of 1.35 billion and a pro-gambling culture makes it almost a holy grail for wagering. Despite its strict anti-gambling laws, many betting websites are willing to take the legal risk. The market is just too good to pass up.

Instead of blocking access to us like the law would imply, these companies cater to us with Chinese language websites and deposit methods that work with the Chinese Yuan Renminbi. You can use your debit card, bank transfer or cash voucher to make deposits that are credited to your account instantly. And when you’re done gambling, a withdrawal can be used to send the money straight to your bank account.

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Is it Legal to Bet Online in China?

No. Chinese law prohibits all forms of gambling. Having said that, the risk of getting in trouble is low. Millions of Chinese citizens have been gambling online for years without any problems. In theory, the authorities could arrest you if they caught you placing bets over the internet. The risk is there, but it’s quite low.

Police forces in China tend to focus their efforts on breaking up underground gambling rings run by criminal groups inside China. Those are much juicier and easier-to-prosecute targets. If you’re just one person sitting at home placing bets on a gaming site based out of the Philippines, you have little to worry about.

Just remember it is technically illegal to participate in any form of unsanctioned gaming. You should decide for yourself if you feel the risk is worth it. If you do decide to proceed, it would be best to keep your mouth shut and avoid playing in public. Do your gambling at home on a private connection and keep your wins to yourself.

Depositing with RMB / CNY

The Chinese Yuan Renminbi is accepted by nearly every major betting site in the world. Most sites also accept the Hong Kong dollar. The deposit methods accepted by these companies are designed to work with the most popular Chinese banking options. Local bank transfers, online e-wallets, Asia365, AsiaPay88 and many more are accepted.

Most deposit methods require you to have a bank account. I would recommend setting one up even if you’re not particularly fond of banks. It will make the entire process so much more convenient as you can send and receive money electronically without having to leave the house.

The Great Firewall

China isn’t particularly interested in tracking down and prosecuting individual gamblers playing online from home. Instead, an internet censorship program is used to block access to known gaming websites. If you visit your favorite online casino and receive an error message, it probably got caught up in the Great Firewall.

There are a couple of things you can do to get around this. One is to run a search for the name of your website and look for one its alternate domains. China-friendly betting websites are aware of the situation and frequently set up new, temporary domains to help customers get around the block.

Another option is to use a VPN service to encrypt your internet traffic and get around any internet firewalls. VPNs are very easy to set up. All you need to do is sign up for an account, install the software and click the “connect” button. This will grant you full access to the entire internet.

China Gambling Laws

The gambling laws of China very clearly outlaw all forms of unsanctioned betting. Authorities are constantly on the lookout for underground gambling dens. News stories abound of police raiding criminally-sponsored underground casinos

The prohibition of gambling makes no distinction between offline and online gambling. Anything other than the state lottery is illegal. The closest alternatives you have are visiting Hong Kong to bet on horses or heading to Macau to visit its lavish casinos and sportsbooks.

Hong Kong and Macau are the sole exceptions in China. Each of these is considered a “special administrative region” and is has some latitude in determining the laws within. China has taken no action against either region for legalizing gambling, although China does discourage citizens from brining more than a limited amount of money into Macau.

China is slowly coming to terms with the rise of internet gaming. Both state lotteries have internet presences and do allow limited forms of online and mobile wagering. These lottery services offer a very basic form of gambling but are immensely popular nonetheless.

The China Welfare Lottery has been selling tickets since 1987 and uses proceeds to fund social welfare programs such as assisting the homeless, responding to disasters and so on. Last year’s Welfare Lottery sold more than 1 trillion yuan worth of tickets.

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The China Sports Lottery was introduced in 1989 and now acts as the closest approximation to legal sports betting in the country. The sports lottery previously only accepted wagers on football and basketball, but expanded its options in 2014 to include hockey, handball, table tennis, badminton, water polo and volleyball.

Since going live in 1989, the sports lottery has seen incredible growth numbers. During last the 2014 World Cup, the lottery set a new single day sales record of RMB 550 million. Casual gamblers should find the sports lottery adequate, but those serious about getting the most value should look to foreign sports betting sites which have significantly better odds, a much wider ranges of sports and a greater variety of bet types.

Which are the leading 10 gambling sites in China and where to bet safely?

Which are the most reputable betting websites in China and where to bet safely while residing in the country? Find the answers to these questions by reading our full review of China’s online betting industry.

• Population: China is currently the world’s most populous country with approximately 1.43 billion residents according to a recent 2019 statistics provided by World Population Review. This makes up 18.59% of the total global population. Moreover, China is considered the 3rd largest country with a total land area of 9,706,961 km².
• Active players: Chinese people are fond of gambling. However, it’s really hard to provide an accurate number of players since the Chinese government is actively cracking down on casinos since gambling is illegal in mainland China.
• Currency: China uses the Renminbi (RMB), meaning “the people’s currency”, as its official currency. Meanwhile, its most widespread international usage is yuan (CNY). You can either write RMB 1,000 or CNY 1,000.
• Regulated gambling products: Mainland China imposed a very strict anti-gambling law. Therefore, both online and offline betting options are punishable by hefty fines and even imprisonment. The government even blocked access to online Chinese gambling sites through the Great Firewall of China.
• Operator types: China’s sports lottery is administered by the China Sports Lottery Administration Centre, while the welfare lottery is under the China Welfare Lottery Issuance Centre.
• Designated authority: China’s Ministry of Finance is the one responsible for regulating, administering, and supervising the country’s national lottery. Meanwhile, the highest authority which grants licences in both welfare and sports lottery is the State Council. However, it doesn’t allow the issuance of a licence to any foreign lotteries.
• Status: As mentioned, mainland China is very strict when it comes to gambling. Therefore, you can’t find any legal casinos in the country. If you want to play in a land-based casino, you can instead head to Hong Kong and Macau which are considered special administrative regions of China. This means that though they are part of China, and some aspects of mainland China’s law apply in both regions, their laws are mostly based on that of their colonists. Hong Kong, being a British colony until 1997, has its laws based on the English common law while Macau, being a colony of Portugal, has its laws based on the Portuguese law.

Top 3 Foreign Bookmakers in China

Despite the Chinese government’s efforts in cracking down online gambling, China’s online gambling market still remains massive. In fact, there are several online gambling websites that accept registrations from China. The following are as follows:

Hailed as the “home of Asian betting”, Dafabet is considered as among the most popular bookies in Asia. Founded in 2004, Dafabet offers a wide selection of gambling products, including online poker, flash games, online betting, and more. Though it doesn’t have a lot of sports options, you can certainly find betting markets for football, cricket, and basketball. When it comes to live-betting, Dafabet has an attractive sport layout that comes with multiple betting options. Moreover, it has a wide range of deposit methods to choose from and even comes with its own mobile service.

The company 22bet is a Russian bookmaker that was founded in 2017 but is already proving to be one of the best operators when it comes to live betting and odds. It features an easily accessible platform that comes with a lot of lucrative promotions. Moreover, the site is available in 51 languages to make it even more accessible to several countries, including China. When it comes to their markets, 22bet features a variety of sports, including football, tennis, and more. You can also find lots of options to bet on, including eSports, live casino, poker, bingo, and more.

The bookmaker 888sport is one of the most well-known sportsbooks throughout the world, making it one of the most popular bookmakers in China. It’s a very popular platform for bettors due to its high odds, a wide range of betting markets, and the availability of multiple deposit methods. When it comes to its sports betting section, you can find everything to be quickly accessible. You have the option to place bets on 22 different sports, with horse racing and football as the most popular. There are also markets for tennis, basketball, football, and more. You can also expect a lot of promotions such as a 100% welcome bonus, free bets, weekly offers, and tons of other promos daily just by signing in!

Important Things to Know About Betting Sites in China

1. Betting Environment
   As mentioned, there are no legal casinos operating in China. Since only lotteries are allowed, Chinese citizens were forced to look for other avenues where they can gamble all they want. Poker, which is becoming popular in China, has also been prohibited by the Chinese government back in 2018. All forms of poker, including apps from the Play Store and App Store, are removed entirely. Hong Kong and Macau, however, are not bound by the laws of mainland China. As such, there is no authority that monitors and regulates online casino sites in those regions, allowing Chinese citizens to satisfy their gambling needs there. Another province in China where gambling is allowed is Hainan, though it’s only for pari-mutuel sports betting. There are, however, reports that said the Chinese government would encourage horse racing in Hainan and even expand its sports lotteries.
2. Competition
   Due to mainland China’s strict prohibition of gambling and casinos, Chinese gamblers can only gain access to welfare and sports lottery. That leaves only Hong Kong and Macau to exercise full freedom when it comes to gambling.
3. Operators
   Only the China Sports Lottery Administration Centre and China Welfare Lottery Issuance Centre are allowed to operate in China legally. This means that any land-based casino in the country is considered illegal.
4. Active Players
   As mentioned, we can’t get any accurate data on the number of active gamblers in mainland China due to its gambling ban. In Hong Kong, 4 out of 5 respondents interviewed in a survey said that they participate in gambling. This is equal to 78% of active gamblers in the area, as per estimate.
5. Key Info for Chinese Players
   Gambling is illegal in mainland China with the exception of Hong Kong and Macau. The only forms of betting you can find are the sports lottery and the welfare lottery. That said, one of the betting tips in China for those who want to get into an even bigger betting market with more betting options is to travel to either Hong Kong or Macau. However, the Chinese government is trying to curb the problem of gambling which is rampant in these areas. Therefore, travellers who are from mainland China can only bring a maximum of 20,000 RMB in cash. Aside from that, the country’s UnionPay card systems have set a limit to prevent Chinese people from drawing huge amounts of cash. In spite of that, Chinese gamblers managed to find a workaround by smuggling currency past several checkpoints that connect Macau and Hong Kong to the mainland. They also use pawnshops outside mainland China by pawning certain items in exchange for cash they can use to gamble.
6. Gambling Taxes and Players’ Safety
   Mainland China only offers state-run lotteries, where the Chinese people can legally gamble on. That said, those who win more than 10,000 RMB will be charged with a 20% tax. However, any winnings that are less than that will be exempted.

Sports Betting in China: An Overview

The China Sports Lottery was organised by the Chinese government back in 1987 alongside the China Welfare Lottery. The sports lottery allows Chinese people to place bets on sports events which account for 43% of the country’s 309 billion yuan ticket sales back in 2013

However, there are still lots of illegal gambling rings that operate throughout the country, and most people prefer them due to their higher odds in China and less strict regulations. Lottery tickets used to be sold at physical locations, but since 2013, they can also be purchased online from licensed betting sites in China.

What Kind of Odds Format Is Used in China?

When gambling with European bookies from China, the odds format comes in either European decimal or UK fraction format.

Available Betting Markets in Most Bookmakers

There are several bookies that offer their services to the Chinese people. However, due to China’s heavy censorship, it will be hard to predict which of them gets blocked next. That said, these bookmakers offer a wide range of betting markets including football, tennis, live betting, bingo, poker, and several other American, Chinese, and European sports.

User Experience

Despite China’s prohibition, bookmakers that accept registration from Chinese players make sure that they can provide their users with excellent user experience. The three best bookmakers in China mentioned earlier, as well as other bookies, provide excellent site speed, interface, and customer service despite China’s censorship.

Bonuses and Promotions for bettors from China

Bookmakers that accept registrations from Chinese players offer a signup bonus, welcome bonus, discounts, and other promotions that players from other countries normally receive.

Live Betting, Live Streaming & Cash-Out Features

There is no China live betting and live streaming features that are legal in the country. Moreover, the Chinese government is always pushing efforts to prevent Chinese players from withdrawing or even depositing money into their online casino accounts.

Online Casinos in China

Online gambling is not legal in China. However, it’s known to have a lot of illegal casinos and betting venues scattered throughout the country. To date, the only legal gambling venues available are the state-run welfare and sports lotteries.

Available Methods for Withdrawals and Deposits

The Chinese government had successfully managed to block financial transactions between its people and online casinos via the State Council Information Office. This has caused Chinese players to look for other methods to withdraw and deposit to and from their accounts.

Most of the time, Chinese players use eWallets to conduct financial transactions. That said, Chinese online gamblers should check their online operators to know their available options.

Mobile Betting and Betting Apps

As much as online gambling is prohibited in China, the same goes for mobile betting and betting apps. In fact, the Chinese government even went as far as blocking and removing any gambling-related apps in both the Play Store and App Store.

Safety and Security

Chinese players who want to gamble online should do so at their own risk. While the safety and security offered by the top bookmakers in the country are considered top-notch, there’s no telling when they might get blocked by the country’s State Internet Information Office.

Taking part in illegal gambling venues can be quite risky as well, considering that illegal gambling is under the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China. Therefore, if caught participating in illegal gambling, they will be subjected to penalties, including fines and imprisonment.

Is Customer Support good enough for players from China?

Online Chinese gamblers can expect good quality support from the majority of the bookmakers that accept registration from China. However, support is only limited to their PCs since there is no Android and iOS mobile customer support due to China’s laws.

FAQs

Sports betting in China is one of the only two allowed forms of gambling. The other one is the welfare lottery.

Yes, it’s highly possible. However, there will be certain limitations due to the Chinese government’s crackdown on gambling.

There are several bookies that penetrate the Chinese market. However, the top 3 of them are the ones mentioned earlier: Dafabet, 22bet, and 888sport.

William Hill could be considered one of the top sites for betting in China. However, this can be subject to change due to the possibility that the government could block it anytime.

There are plenty of popular sports in China, including martial arts and wushu. However, the country has also shown an increasing interest in sports like rugby, volleyball, soccer, baseball, and basketball.

Chinese players can avail of free bets from various bookmakers. However, they should do it at their own risk due to the country’s strict anti-gambling laws.

There are no legal casinos that operate in mainland China, only illegal ones. If you want to play legally on land-based casinos, you can instead go to either Macau or Hong Kong.

The ban on gambling in mainland China started back in 1949 and ended around 1970. However, it was once again implemented in 1980 after gambling became rampant throughout the country.

• Macau, which is by far one of the only regions in China where gambling is allowed, is hailed as the largest gambling destination around the world, surpassing even Las Vegas.
• Censorship in China is very strict, thereby causing a lot of online casinos to get blocked via the Great Firewall of China.
• The Chinese people are actually heavy gamblers. This has prompted the government to place the ban due to that reason.

Are There Any Restrictions for Players from China?

Gambling is illegal in China. Therefore, those who engage in illegal gambling will have to face fines or imprisonment.

For now, China only allows gambling in Macau and Hong Kong due to both regions’ different laws. However, there’s no telling when the gambling ban on mainland China will be lifted, or will it be even lifted at all.

For Chinese players, they can either play in the state-run lotteries, travel to Macau or Hong Kong, or participate in illegal gambling venues and run the risk of getting caught.