It tends to be a surprise to people when they see how much variation there is in the cultures of the world. What is perfectly acceptable in one country can be a complete and utter taboo in another. Handshakes and kisses on the cheek can be seen as both the best and worst thing ever, depending on where you are.
In the world of money, gambling takes this tendency up several notches, as some places allow for it to run wild, while others can make it as restricted as possible. Some even ban it outright. The internet tends to be a gray area in a lot of these places, and the latest online casinos are often the only chance at gambling a lot of people in the world have. Let’s go down the list and see the peculiarities of each continent and its countries.
Different Practices on Different Continents
North America
This continent is fairly weird and varied, despite only having 3 actual countries. Mexico is extremely positive about gambling and tends to allow all forms of it, anywhere and anytime. Canada, on the other hand, appears to love gambling just as much but can seem a bit schizophrenic due to how different provinces have different laws regarding it. Be cautious.
The US is the most divided of all as if it cannot make up its mind. Nevada and New York think it’s quite alright, while others like Texas seem to want it out of sight and out of mind, but don’t really forbid it, as such. There’s even a smattering of states that try to outright make it illegal, causing confusion and problems for foreign sites, which sometimes leads to them banning their potential US users.
South America
The situation is largely the same as before- most seem to be accepting of gambling of all forms, like Argentina and Peru. They even tend to have very well regulated casinos, both online and physical, in their countries. On the other hand, you have countries like Ecuador, where online casino is illegal but you can try your hand at online sites if they’re foreign. Cuba just dislikes gambling in general.Then you have the middle ground of countries like Brazil or Chile. They don’t like it and they have made it illegal but they allow foreign casinos. This is kind of amusing, since Brazil has a huge gambling presence online, so there’s always an effort to make gambling more legal and easier on its population.
Europe
Another continent of vast differences. In one corner you have countries that are huge markets for gambling, like the UK, Spain, and Germany but on the other, you have Turkey, where gambling is highly illegal and can be severely punished. While in a country like Spain all forms of gambling, online or physical, are completely legal and regulated, protecting the consumer.
The majority of other countries on the continent have adopted a very similar approach to the big 3 markets, but they tend to be less regulated and safe for the gamblers themselves. Of course, you still have countries like Iceland and France that hate only online casinos. While countries like Poland and Russia seem to only really let people gamble online since it’s only technically illegal.
Africa
While it might come as a surprise, this continent enjoys quite an active and thriving gambling scene, especially in recent years. Over half the countries, 30 out of 54 to be precise, have made all forms of gambling legal, from the online casinos to betting on sports matches. South Africa is a clear leader in this, boasting dozens of casinos already. The growth of users is explosive, going into the above 100% a year range and not expected to slow down any time soon.The situation only gets odder, since the places that have yet to legalize gambling aren’t really fighting it. They just sort of let it happen and aren’t bothered. The only real threat is shady and unlicensed casinos. Gambling there could even land you in jail since it’s illegal to earn anything in an unregistered casino and this is the only, somewhat odd, downside of gambling in Africa.
Australia
Surprisingly little to talk about here. Australia tended to be very relaxed on gambling, until 2017 when it cracked down hard on online casinos and nothing else. New Zealand, conversely, just cares about local establishments. It’s an extremely odd situation.
Asia
Oddly complicated, but quite a huge market, so let’s try to boil it down to the simplest facts.
Singapore used to adore gambling, then banned it in 2014, totally. Japan was the opposite until recently, only relaxing its stance in the last few years.In countries like Thailand and Taiwan, it’s illegal, but you can find some way to gamble, usually if you’re a tourist, which is one of those cultural things you just accept.
China, the single largest market, despite everything but physical betting on sports, forcing its people to find workarounds online.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you enjoyed that look into the gambling culture of the world and the weird differences possible even on the same continent.
