Gambling has always been an interesting topic of debate when it comes to the legality of it. Every country and sometimes even province, has a different way of dealing with their population wanting to gamble. Some countries have become more lenient, in the hopes that the increased availability will reduce the temptation to do something risky and others have tried to implement stricter controls to try to get players away from the hobby in general. No country can do it perfectly, it’s a tricky situation to juggle but making a comparison between two very different countries might be a simple way for you to gain some understanding.
This article aims to look at the gambling legislation in Hong Kong and then look at the same thing in the UK and draw some comparisons. So, without further ado, it’s time to get cracking.
The Legislation in Hong Kong
The legislation around physical gambling sites in Hong Kong is strictly forbidden and something that shows absolutely no sign of becoming legal in the area, unlike places like the USA, South Africa or France. However, where things get a bit more tricky is in the online realm. It’s hard for the government in Hong Kong to manage how their people engage with online games, especially now that it’s far more common to change your VPN – you know, that thing that allows you to change the location of where you are, should someone ever try to track you? Yes exactly, the virtual private network, this is the advancement that has made regulating online gambling far more tricky.
There are a few gambling activities that are legal in Hong Kong and these include lotteries, horse racing and football betting. With lotteries, Hong Kong is less concerned with it as it’s a pure game based on luck. Horse racing and football betting, these categories both fall within sports betting, which is something different from online gambling. So, when it comes to online gambling in Hong Kong how do things stand?
As with anything in law, there is no definitive answer. The people in charge of this topic in Hong Kong certainly don’t promote it, however, they also understand that it is incredibly difficult to regulate. Therefore, the happy medium that they have tried to come up with is enforcing the rule that you can only play on sites that are legal, registered and vetted. As a player, you are not allowed to partake in any form of online gambling on a site that does not have the correct accreditation.
There is no crystal clear ruling regarding online casino gambling in Hong Kong. If you are traveling through the place, it definitely isn’t as easy or recommended as in Las Vegas for example but it’s also not completely out of the picture like other more stringent countries. There is a grey area and a fine line that you have to balance when walking down the online casino road in Hong Kong.
On the other hand, other countries do it completely differently, such as the UK, which will be further expanded on below.
The Legislation in the UK
On the other side of the world, you find yourself in the UK. Here, horse race betting and sports betting have become almost part of the culture. However, when it comes to online gambling, where does the UK government stand?
Well, the simple answer is in favor. Not necessarily in terms of wanting to promote it but certainly recognizing that the population in the UK has an itch for online gambling and far be it for the UK government to stand in the way of that. It’s actually quite a solid plan that the UK has. Online gambling is regulated in England by the Commission of Great Britain. The Gambling Act of 2005 is the act that truly sets everything in motion. Physical casinos had always been allowed in the UK so when the switch to online casinos came about, it seems that the UK government didn’t really see the difference and allowed this too. It must be said though that this country is very good at regulating its players and has certain limits per player, per age.
Differences in Regulations Across the World
You know, the thing is that it’s not just the UK and Hong Kong that have varying ideas of how online casino gaming should happen in their country. Almost every country has a different way of handling this situation. It’s clear to see that Hong Kong and the UK have a completely different way of doing it. In Hong Kong, it looks like the aim is to avoid the existence of online gambling in the hopes that the desire to play just goes away and in the UK, they have taken a more hands-on approach and accepted the desire to play and have created specific rules and regulations on how individuals should gamble.
Regardless of the laws and regulations of a country, one thing is for certain and that is that if you want to partake in gambling, you have to do so safely and responsibly. Always double-check check legal nature of the area that you find yourself, set a strict budget and never invest more time than what you have readily available.
Well, there you have it, everything you need to know about this topic.
David Prior
David Prior is the editor of Today News, responsible for the overall editorial strategy. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with over 20 years’ experience, and is also editor of the award-winning hyperlocal news title Altrincham Today. His LinkedIn profile is here.
