Almost every country in the world has its own regulations related to gambling and betting. Today we take a look at some of the places where betting activities are legal. Learn more with STATSCORE.
Where in Europe is sports betting legal?
Member states of the European Union are free to make their own decisions about their gambling policies, as there is no common sector-specific EU legislation in this field. That’s why there are different betting-related rules in different EU states.
The United Kingdom (still a member of the EU, as of today) has some of the most liberal gambling laws. In fact, all kinds of gambling activities (sports betting, casino games, lotto lotteries, etc.) are legal there.
The European countries that legally allow online sports betting also include: France, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Denmark, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Greece, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus and Montenegro.
In Turkey, all forms of online gambling are prohibited, except for one state-owned sports betting company. In Norway, there are only two companies that are allowed to offer gambling services. Sports betting in the Netherlands is monopolized by one state-owned company.
Where in North and South America is sports betting legal?
Since the Supreme Court of the United States lifted the federal ban on sports betting on May 14, 2018, most of the states have been moving toward legalisation.
Since the ruling, numerous states (including Arkansas, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia) have passed appropriate sports betting regulations. The new ones keep joining in.
In Canada, it is not forbidden to place sports wagers online, but in practice, the regulations fall under the provincial jurisdictions. The law also states that any gambling website has to hold a license issued by the government.
The first and most well-established South American betting market exists in Colombia, which legalised gambling in 2016.
Brazil is currently undergoing the process of regulating its betting market.
Where in Australia is sports betting legal?
Online sports betting is legal in Australia, while the licensing laws vary from state to state.
In New Zealand remote interactive gambling is prohibited, which means that there are no New Zealand-based online gambling. However it is not illegal for someone in New Zealand to participate in gambling over the Internet if that website is based overseas.
Where in Asia is sports betting legal?
In most countries in Asia, gambling and betting are banned or restricted. Officially, it is illegal to bet in countries like India, Iran, or Saudi Arabia. Online gambling is banned in Russia and all online betting activity by Russian citizens is deemed illegal.
Gambling and betting are also illegal under Chinese law, though Chinese citizens are known to take part in legal gambling via businesses from the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
In Taiwan, the only legal form of gambling is stare-run lotteries.
In Japan gambling is generally banned, though there are exceptions including betting on horse racing and certain motor sports.
Where in Africa is sports betting legal?
Many African countries still have in place severe legal restrictions related to betting and gambling, and in others (as in Kenya recently), governments have been trying to curb betting. In many countries the laws concerning gambling are quite ambiguous.
Online sports betting is legal in some countries, such as Egypt and South Africa.
