Gambling is not a new concept in our society. The issue has become contentious and a debate can be traced in the history of many countries that date back as far as ancient times. The era, which is attributed to the ancient civilizations of Indus Valley and Mesopotamia has documented evidence of gambling. The skilled variants have a limited chance to triumph while intellect on luck, the lucky ones win because fortune favors the bold. That comprises respect, risk, rewards, possibly, combinations, and conditional probabilities.
The subject of morals and the psyche of gambling has attracted attention and is being discussed. Fyodor Dostoevsky connected gamblers with a mentality solely on how to get rich quickly. ‘ Weaknesses in gambling can generate thoughts of powerlessness and fear of failure.
The world hardly has a united approach on how to manage gambling since there is no common purpose of view. Not only inside a given country but also within states there are some Laws influenced or diverged from a standpoint that make regulation versatile and thrilling. Two substantial ways to gamble are casinos, table games, computer games, cards, sports gambling practices, dice, bingo, coin tossing, pari-mutuel gambling, and online gambling, which are enjoyed everywhere in the world.
Which countries have legalized gambling?
Given this, different types of gambling operate around the world within which countries have different legislative frameworks to suit their interests. The markets covered by the gambling business include the USA, the UK, China, India, Ireland, Finland, Canada, Australia, Thailand and New Zealand. What’s particularly remarkable is that some countries like the United Arab Emirates and Brunei, which are governed by Muslim law, are completely against all forms of gambling, for moral and cultural reasons. In North Korea, locals are not allowed gambling of any kind, but foreign tourists are permitted to play a game of chance under supervision during guided tourist trips. Gambling legalization differs widely among countries but each within itself has similar but different regulations from state to state and country to country. For example, the US federal law regulates gambling, nevertheless, it is up to the states to determine which kinds are legal or prohibited. In Japan, gambling has not been allowed for many years. Nonetheless, sports betting has been licensed recently, and some casinos have been opened as well. Therefore, even in jurisdictions where gambling is authorized, the specific kinds of gambling that are lawful can be considerably different from each other.
Is online gambling legal?
The process of internet gambling has come into the spotlight lately with some nations adhering to different strategies. The arrival of the Internet in the 2000s has turned the web-based gambling industry into an industry of great significance. Nonetheless, it is criminalized in most countries but its popularity and intrinsic nature make it impossible to regulate the practice. Concerns over imposing gambling regulations online exist in many countries as there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding e-wallet transactions, not to mention foreign ones. A transparent legal system is established to be one rock-solid principle. In contrast in areas such as Africa where internet facility is not linked thus this issue can be less prevalent. Since there are hundreds of people surfing the net in democracies it is most probable that they will have a problem if there are no regulations in place. Speaking of Canada, authorities’ regulations on online gaming are ambiguous and the gauge of control is made of non-existence laws and no standardized regulatory system. As for the US, there are some states that capitalized on the potential of legalized online gambling, and other states are looking for economic benefits. The United Kingdom, Japan, Spain, Argentina, France, Australia, China, and Thailand are among such countries that have adopted laws to legalize gambling over the Internet. In India, online gambling is only permitted in two states: single state Sikkim and precisely the territory of Goa.
Gambling laws and regulations
In North America
The United States of America – Besides the federal laws concerning gambling established in the United States, individual states and local authorities also have their own set of laws. As a part of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act 1988, Native American Tribes are empowered to control gambling activities on their lands in ports of federal law that contain the specifications of areas. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 is a federal law that targets the payment system to monitor and issue a cease and desist on financial transactions related to online gambling as well as on the means of receiving money from “restricted transactions” The Interstate Wire Act of 1961 stipulates that interstate betting through wired media cannot proceed in violation of both law in the states that are involved.
Canada- Gambling in Canada is regulated at the federal level by the Criminal Code (provisions 201-207), which, however, restricts it generally with some exceptions allowed, in particular sports and horse betting. To begin with, every province has its own regulations, which are, in Ontario, Legislated by the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation Act, 1999 and in New Brunswick by the Gaming Control Act.
Mexico – In Mexico, gaming (rules) is handled by Gaming Regulations, apart from the National Lottery, which follows its own specific regulations.
In Europe
One and the same goes about the European Union which acts as a single entity in some areas like trade and transportation. It is regulated by common rules of the EU though there is no law all around the EU governing gambling activities. The contrary then is that each and every one EU member state must instead comply with what is delineated in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
The economic activities within the EU are shaped to the provisions of the Treaty and to uphold the fundamental freedoms within it. Every country reserves the right to nullify or limit the gaming titles that can be played in its area of jurisdiction.
Some of countries have stricter rules where it allows only gambling on poker or casinos while others are taking it further to online gambling as well. For example, in France, apart from where it comes to horse racing, bets, and Internet gaming, four different laws are applied. Germany is deficient in the integrity of gambling laws, giving rise to the competition between licenses and preferences. Italy, when compared to other EU nations, prioritizes generosity in gambling compared to other nations with enforcements that are strict and especially on online gaming.
In the UK
The UK has established a standardized approach to regulating the gambling industry and has made legislative provisions for the same. The major legislation that embodied it was the Gambling Act, of 2005. Concerning games, they are highly regulated and there are strict rules regarding different categories of games. Such laws are made with an intent of not propagating and promoting crimes in the country. As for the Act, the Commission was created to normalize the procedures in gambling especially license giving and so on. Also, other pieces of legislation such as the Horse Race Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004 (HRBLA), categories of Casino Regulations 2008 (CR), and Gambling (Licensing & Advertising) Act 2008 (GAMLA) are there to focus on the different types of games. Besides such prerequisites, it should be mentioned that a number of other regulations exist as the basis for regulation of gambling.
In Australia
Australia probably has a sector for gambling law at the federal level and law access at the State level. The Interactive Gambling (IGA) Act 2001 is a federal law that has high stakes in governing gambling across Australia, which stipulates regulations permitting online casinos in Australia. The Act outlines 2 ways by which gambling will be legalized. These include licensing and excluded lottery services. In addition, gambling legislation is the responsibility of each State to define. Such legal enactments include the Casino Control Act, 1991, and the Gambling Regulation Act, 2003 in the Cases of Victoria It was the state of New South Wales that passed the Betting and Racing Act, 1998 as well as the Casino Control Act, 1992, and other acts as well. It is a corollary that the Central legislation on the federal level prevails. Primarily, gambling is subject to States and Rules attributed to the respective States.