Gambling is actually illegal in a lot of countries across the globe. If you have often wondered why that is the case, then this article is just for you!
Why Is Gambling Illegal in the First Place?
Gambling is an illegal activity in a lot of countries across the world. In order to answer the question of why, we need to look at different factors. They are as follows:
1. Sin or Evil Practise: There are countries where the dominant culture and social mores consider the practise of gambling to be an evil one or even downright sinful. This could have to do with morality or religious practises.
2. Socio-economic scenario: There are countries that consider gambling to be a detriment to their socio-economic condition and therefore do not legalise it to curb it. These ramifications include addiction, suicide, increase in crime rates and more.
Is Gambling Illegal Where You Live?
The legality of gambling in your area of residence depends on the laws of that particular place. In the US, different states have different gambling laws. So, it is always better to check if gambling is legal in the state where you live before you start online gambling. The different kinds of gambling activities are lotteries, casinos, bingo and sports betting. Also, check if both offline and online gambling are legal or not.
Where Is Gambling Illegal?
In the world today, there are around 10 countries where gambling is illegal. Why? As explained above, that has to do with the social perception of gambling as an activity in that culture. Moreover, several countries do consider the psychological and economic ramifications of gambling addiction and the repeated drawbacks presented by this particular activity even with Responsible Gambling protocols being set in place.
The countries where gambling is illegal are the following:
Cyprus
Singapore
Brunei
United Arab Emirates
North Korea
Cambodia
Japan
Qatar
Lebanon
Poland
Is Gambling a Crime Even in Legal Markets?
Yes, that is a high possibility. Gambling can turn into an illegal market even under jurisdictions where gambling is sanctioned legal by state laws. This is mainly because certain crime syndicates use gambling as a shadow region to launder money, drugs and conduct all other criminal proceedings. This enables them to escape the attention of the law enforcement and wreck havoc on society.
Getting involved in such a crime syndicate means prison time and risk to life, among others. Moreover, the bookie system in sports-betting is another example of illegal activities even inside legal gambling markets. Illegal gambling rings are set up mainly because they have hit rewards that are definitely worth the risks involved. The money involved is tax free and therefore sweeter.
If an illegal gambling ring can be set up, then a significant amount of money can be made. This can be clearly seen in case of a country like China where gambling is illegal, but which still sees the highest number of sports bets ever made. Some examples of illegal gambling rings in the world include the 2020 $2.6 billion illegal gambling organisation in Vietnam, Seoul’s gambling dens and the very popular Frank Rosenthal syndicate.
Will Gambling Remain Illegal in Places?
It cannot be conjectured whether gambling will continue to remain illegal in the countries mentioned above or whether the stringent laws will be revised, but it is important to realise that most countries where gambling is illegal provide people the right to participate in one form of gambling or the other, maybe even in neighbouring countries. For instance, China allows its citizens to participate in lotteries and go to neighbouring Macau for gambling extravaganzas if they want.
Till recently in the US, gambling was an illegal activity. But now the laws have been revised and relaxed and that is for the good for all gambling enthusiasts. Gambling which includes sports-betting is no longer considered to be illegal in USA.
Why Is Online Gambling Illegal?
Online gambling being illegal depends on your area of residence. Usually, in most countries which look down upon land-based casinos, gambling enthusiasts are provided with the option of responsible online gambling in online casinos, sports-betting sites and poker rooms, to name a few.
FAQs
Why is gambling illegal in most states?
Gambling is illegal in most states because the elected government believes that the socio-economic ramifications that gambling might bring in trumps the additional state income that could be made by making gambling a legal activity.
What makes gambling illegal?
Gambling is illegal due to certain reasons. In some countries, the cultural milieu is such that gambling is considered a sin or an evil activity (based on moral or religious grounds), while in other countries, the social and economic evils brought in by gambling make it an illegal activity.
Is gambling actually illegal?
In the 10 countries mentioned above, gambling is actually illegal and a punishable offence.
Why should gambling be legal?
Gambling should be legal because ultimately it is the free will of the participant if they want to play or not. Moreover, even with strict measures in place, illegal gambling rings can easily operate under the very noses of law enforcement authorities.