Legal Online Casinos in China
Fully legal and licensed casinos are only present in two designated areas in China, as alluded to above. Strict controls are placed on which games are permitted and responsible gambling is very much the order of the day. Casinos must conform to strict laws and regulations. Revenue generated by the casinos of Macau is still several times greater than that of the famous Las Vegas Strip.
Gambling Games in China
Slots popular in Macau are the ones that were designed by the world-renowned developers that supply slot machines to land-based casinos. The slots include: Triple Diamonds, Hexbreaker, 88 Fortunes, Wheel of Fortune and Hot Shot. The list of the games most favoured by the Chinese population includes classical slot machines as well as modern-day five-reel slots that feature all kinds of bonuses. Most of the casinos have machines designed by international suppliers such as IGT, Aristocrat and Light & Wonder (the company formerly known as Scientific Games, which also owns the WMS and Bally brands). Machines with video poker and digital versions of table games are also in high demand. Poker slots, digital baccarat and virtual blackjack have gained the highest popularity. Slot machines are the most popular entertainment in Macau. At the end of 2025 the casinos of Macau operated 12,000 slot machines, the maximum allowed since 2023, together with 6,000 gaming tables. In 2025 slot machines alone earned the casinos MOP 13.9 billion (about US$1.7 billion). Among visitors from China who try the free demo versions on NeonSlots.com, recent favourites include Sugar Rush 1000 and 888 Gold by Pragmatic Play, Zeus II by WMS, Immortal Romance by Microgaming and Cleopatra by IGT.
Gambling Legislation
Gambling outside of gaming zones in China is prohibited. Running underground casinos and betting points is punishable by law pursuant to Article 303 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China. Since Amendment XI to the Criminal Law took effect on 1 March 2021, running a gambling den in serious cases carries up to ten years in prison, and organising Chinese citizens to gamble abroad has also been made a criminal offence. Gambling entertainment is only available in Hong Kong and Macau. Each of the cities has its own laws that regulate gambling services. This is what is allowed in Hong Kong: Bets on horse races and sports (football), Mahjong and the Lottery (Mark Six). Bets and lotteries in Hong Kong are run by the monopolist that has the government grant - Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC). In September 2025 the Legislative Council passed the Betting Duty (Amendment) Bill 2025 to regulate betting on basketball through the HKJC, but in April 2026 the government paused the launch, citing the rapid rise of unregulated prediction markets. These are the games available in Macau: casino table games (card games, dice, roulette, etc.), slot machines (video slots, video poker and digital versions of table games), sports betting and lotteries and other public games. Horse racing ended when the concession of the Macau Horse Race Company was terminated on 1 April 2024, and greyhound racing ended with the closure of the Canidrome in 2018. The entertainment was available in 30 casinos at the end of 2024; after the transition period for so-called satellite casinos ended, their number fell to 20 at the end of 2025. Only persons aged 21 or over may enter the casinos. Land-based casinos are monitored by the Chief Executive of Macau and the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ). Gaming regulators and laws that regulate gambling operations There is only one company that was granted a permit from the government to accept bets and purchase lottery tickets in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) runs its operations in compliance with a number of laws that apply within the city boundaries exclusively: the Betting Duty Ordinance (Cap. 108) and the Gambling Ordinance (Cap. 148). The conditions under which mahjong operates as a gambling game are considered separately. Mahjong and tin kau parlours are licensed under the Gambling Ordinance by an officer appointed by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs. The government's policy is to allow a new parlour only if a cogent need for a lawful gambling outlet is shown, so only a limited number of licensed mahjong parlours operate in Hong Kong, and nobody under 18 may play there. Other types of gambling, including poker, is banned in the territory of Hong Kong. Owners of illegal facilities will face fines or imprisonment. Under the Gambling Ordinance, operators of illegal gambling establishments and bookmakers face heavy fines and long prison terms, and players who gamble in illegal establishments or bet with unauthorised bookmakers, including offshore websites, can also be fined and jailed.
Gambling in Macau
In Macau the gambling industry is regulated by the Chief Executive of Macau along with the Gaming Committee and subordinate agencies — Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau. The Macau Chief Executive is in charge of outlining the gaming policies and licensing the casino operators in Macau. Subordinate agencies coordinate and monitor the gambling market and issue special licenses: to promoters of the gambling business and to manufacturers of electronic equipment for casinos and to manufacturers of gambling items (cards, dice, chips, etc.). Functions of the local authorities are guided by the Macau Gaming Law (Law No. 16/2001, substantially amended by Law No. 7/2022). The law establishes the legal framework for the organisation of commercial gambling. In addition, there is a number of clarifying laws:
- Instant Lottery Law - regulates instant lotteries
- Illegal Gaming Law - maintains the list of games and equipment that are considered illegal; since October 2024 it has been replaced by Law No. 20/2024 to Combat Crimes of Illegal Gambling, which introduced tougher penalties and new offences such as illegal money changing for gambling
- International Gaming Tender Regulation - is a law that authorises foreign entrepreneurs to set up a gambling business in Macau
- Gaming Promoters' Regulation - is the act that regulates the area of promotion and advertising of gambling, as well as organisation of junket tours; since 2022 these rules are part of Law No. 16/2022 on the operation of casino gaming, which allows each promoter to work with only one concessionaire
- Gaming Credit Law - regulates issuing credits to casino operators and promoters of the gambling industry; the original 2004 law was replaced by Law No. 7/2024
- Junket Commissions Regulation - outlines the boundaries within which promoters of junket tours get their commission
- Electronic Gaming Machines Regulation - monitors the issuance of licenses to manufacturers of casino equipment
The legislative framework contributes to the development of the gambling industry in Macau and to getting foreign entrepreneurs involved in the development of this gaming zone. The opportunity to receive a license in the gaming capital of China is what makes the worldly renowned operators place their establishments on the territory of Macau. This, in turn, will make the gaming zone more attractive for both tourists and locals.
Online gambling in China
Online gambling is banned in the territory of China Access to online gambling is only available in the gaming zone of Macau. Virtual entertainment where bets can be placed is regulated by Macau Gaming Law. This is where online gambling is called an interactive game. Interactive games are defined by the following criteria:
- An external device is used in the game, such as a mobile phone, a personal computer, a laptop, a tablet, etc
- The entertainment is provided in the form of a table game or video slots
- Players deposit money or currency equivalent to money to conduct a game session
- Throughout the game a player can win money or special currency, which will later be converted to monetary funds
Only private companies that have a permit from the Macau Government can provide online gambling services. For online platforms, however, there was no tender announced, by which concessionary agreements could be signed. Nor did the operators of land-based casinos receive the authorisation to provide online gambling services on the territory of Macau. This is the reason why there are no conventional online casinos available in China. Legislative regulations on visits to foreign Internet platforms have also been toughened. Access to foreign gambling websites is blocked by the national firewall, unauthorised VPN services are restricted, and the police regularly shut down illegal online gambling platforms. Yet on the territory of Macau online bets are allowed to be placed on sporting events. Horse racing and greyhound racing, which used to be offered by Macau Horse Racing Company Limited and Macau (Yat Yuen) Canidrome Co. Ltd, have ended, so the only company still authorised to provide internet betting operations is Sociedade de Lotarias e Apostas Mútuas de Macau (Macau SLOT), which takes bets on football and basketball; its concession was renewed in 2024 on a non-exclusive basis.
Gambling Licensing
It is virtually impossible to get a license and provide gambling entertainment in Hong Kong officially. There is a monopolistic company that operates in the territory of the gaming zone, and licenses have no longer been issued to mahjong clubs since 1977. And yet HKJC can delegate some of its authorities to other companies. Only official partners of Hong Kong Jockey Club can accept bets on sporting events. The right to provide gambling services in Macau officially belongs to the local government. The Chief Executive of Macau grants concessions (official permits) to gaming operators in accordance with international tenders issued in 2001. These were the criteria by which the prospective players on the market were assessed:
- Experience in operating gambling establishments
- Prepared investment project
- Development of casino sites and infrastructure that would contribute to the development of tourism
- Creating jobs and willingness to train the personnel independently
- Availability of funds to pay for the concessionary lease
- Contribution into social programs and development of tourism in Macau
- Additional investments into the development of culture, science, sports, education and the economy of Macau
To increase the number of operators, the Government authorised the concessionaires to grant their own sub-concessions. So, there were a total of six gaming operators represented in the gambling market of Macau. The permits, which were due to expire in 2020, were extended to 31 December 2022. In 2022 the amended Gaming Law abolished sub-concessions and a new public tender was held. On 16 December 2022 the government signed new concession contracts with six companies - SJM Resorts, Galaxy Casino, Venetian Macau, Wynn Resorts (Macau), Melco Resorts (Macau) and MGM Grand Paradise. The concessions took effect on 1 January 2023 and run for ten years, until 31 December 2032; the six concessionaires pledged to invest MOP 118.8 billion, mostly in non-gaming projects. Until then no other companies can provide casino gambling services in this gaming zone in China.
Development of the Gaming Market in China
In China the gambling industry is associated exclusively with tourism and attracting foreign investors. This is why the country has no licensed domestic market for slot machines or casino equipment, and most equipment used in the gaming zones is supplied by international manufacturers. The Macau Government issues licenses to major developers of technical solutions for land-based establishments. The operators fill the casino halls with the products made by world-renowned manufacturers. Prospects for future development of the gambling industry in China. Development of the gambling industry in China is quite limited. Gambling is banned all across the country, and only in the gaming zone of Macau sports betting, table games and slot machines are available. The gaming zone is developing in close connection with tourism. Casinos in Macau are part of hotel complexes with a developed infrastructure. For years this gaming zone was visited mostly by VIPs. After the crackdown on junket operators and the pandemic, the balance has shifted towards greater accessibility on a mass-scale, and the new concession contracts oblige the operators to attract more foreign visitors and invest in non-gaming attractions. The predicted steady growth of 9% a year until 2020 did not happen: revenue collapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic and has been recovering since 2023, reaching MOP 247.4 billion in 2025. The Gambling industry in China is aimed at entertaining and attracting tourists to the country. The local population is carefully safeguarded from gambling. In Hong Kong the locals can bet on horse races and football, play the lottery and the traditional Chinese game of mahjong. In Macau the list of games is much broader. The list is comparable to European and American standards.
The development of online gambling is very questionable. Up until this day the Chinese Government has not introduced any bills that would allow providing gambling entertainment in the global cyberspace. It's not that the country has no domestic operators. It is forbidden to even visit foreign online casinos, including by using anonymisers. Macau has not issued any licences for online casino games either; its online betting is limited to the sports lottery run by Macau SLOT.
