Still Accepting Bets on Asia

Entering the Chinese market - mass in size and with a growing economy of affluence - has long been of the main target goals for online gambling operators. Yet, while the industry has overcome many hurdles along the way and has reached its current status of a billion dollar business with growing numbers and increasing legitimacy, China has by and large kept its doors closed.

Moreover, the largest market in the world for mobile phones is a prime target for mobile gambling. But this too is being kept on hold.

Beyond China, the same could be said for all of Asia, or South East Asia at the least. Multiple currencies, languages and scripts, a different business culture and the ultimate problem - corruption - have all been cited as problems. Then there is also a legal barrier, with local laws not always allowing online gambling.

Other factors must be taken into consideration when making promises or predictions regarding the future of casinos in Asia. One such is that online casinos require spare time, which most people on Japan, for example, lack. Internet cafes too must be affordable to justify spending an hour or two gambling. Other countries, like Thailand, block online casino sites altogether. It is illegal in the otherwise-liberal country.

Poker is yet another problem. While it is the leading game in the West, Asians have largely never heard of the game. A couple of major sportsbook operators have actually pulled out of the Asian market in the past after suffering losses, raising question marks regarding spots betting in the East.

Meanwhile on land

While online casino gambling is facing legal and cultural barriers, the largest land based casino in the world has opened last week in Macau. The Venetian Macau opened on Tuesday.

Taking up 10.5 million square feet on the Cotai Strip - the casino strip in Macau - the new Venetian includes 3,400 slot machines and the potential to nearly double that amount.

With other casinos planned to be erected around the Venetian, it is a clear sign that gambling is an attraction in the region, and perhaps it is its online version that needs adapting to the environment.

So what will the future bring?

Of course this can all change. Some online casino companies have already set up shop in Macau and have been developing software specially catered for Asians, often developed by Asian engineers and specialists.
 

While China is considering legalizing (and probably capitalizing on) the industry, there is a growing scene and demand in the Philippines. The hopes are for the trend to spread from there to other countries, perhaps with the leadership of China, or by entering small-country after small-country. Time will tell if, when and how this might take place.