Popularity of Online Gambling in Asia

The iGaming sector across the continent has witnessed consistent revenue expansion, encompassing various forms of online gambling such as online casinos, sports betting, and online lottery.

In this comprehensive overview, we'll delve into the landscape of online gambling in Asia, explore the most popular forms of gambling, and examine the situation in key countries.

What Forms of Gambling Are the Most Popular in Asia?

Online gambling in Asia encompasses several types of gambling, including online casinos, sports betting, and online lottery. Each of these types of gambling has gained popularity to varying extents, contributing to the overall growth of the industry.

According to certain projections, the online gambling industry in Asia is expected to reach approximately $12 billion in revenue by 2024, with an annual growth rate of 5.48%.

By 2028, the number of users when it comes to online gambling in Asia could go over 43 million, which is an extremely impressive number considering that many Asian countries have yet to fully legalise online gambling and bring it out of the grey legal area.

(all stats and figures in this article were taken from Statista.com).

Online Casino

Online casinos offer a diverse range of games, including video slots, table games such as card or dice games, and most recently also live casino games. Another recent addition to the online casino section is crash games, which have become increasingly popular as well.

Although slots have traditionally been the most popular and remain the most numerous type of online casino games, live casino games are gaining traction due to their interactive nature and the ability to chat with other players.

Despite being behind sports betting in revenue, online casinos in Asia are experiencing steady growth, year after year, even in countries that traditionally focus on sports betting.

Projections indicate that revenue for online casinos in Asia will reach $3.42 billion US dollars in 2024, with an expected annual growth rate of 5.02%.

Sports Betting

Sports betting remains the most popular form of online gambling in Asia, with the revenue from online sportsbooks projected to hit $3.64 billion in 2024.

Despite stiff competition from online casinos, sports betting maintains its dominance. The online sports betting market in Asia is growing steadily, with an expected annual growth rate of 5.95% in the coming years.

Football is certainly the most popular of the sports for betting in Asia, just like it is in the majority of the regions worldwide, but other sports like basketball, tennis, baseball, MMA, and horse racing are also quite popular.

Furthermore, e-sports betting in Asia is constantly on the rise as well. In fact, the expected revenue from e-sports betting alone is projected to get to $397.1 million in 2024, which isn't really surprising given that e-sports are generally extremely popular in Asian countries.

Online Lottery

Online lottery also enjoys certain popularity in Asia, allowing players to participate in major lotteries worldwide without the need for physical presence.

However, online lottery revenue in Asia is projected to reach $0.75 billion in 2024, indicating that it lags behind sports betting and online casinos in terms of popularity and revenue.

Asia's Most Popular Online Gambling Markets

Let's delve into the online gambling landscape in some of the largest markets across Asia:

Japan

Online gambling in Japan is largely illegal, with exceptions that leave room for offshore operators to operate within a legal grey area. You can explore the top Japanese casinos and sportsbooks and find the right online casino for you at https://www.casinowired.com/.

Anyway, these gambling laws are focused solely on the Japanese bookmakers and casinos and even players rarely suffer any penalties from playing at online casinos based abroad.

Overseas casinos and sportsbooks operate smoothly in Japan, contributing to significant market growth. Projections suggest that Japan's online gambling market revenue will approach $6.20 billion in 2024, with sports betting leading the way as the most popular form of gambling in Japan.

For more information on online casinos in Japan and assistance in finding the right platform, visit https://allcasinos.jp/.

India

Gambling in the country is governed by the Public Gambling Act of 1867, which leaves the regulation of various forms of gambling to each individual state, while also banning all forms of gambling on the federal level. Some states have decided to take advantage of this and legalise gambling, although the number of those that did is still fairly low.

While online gambling is not explicitly mentioned in this law, online casinos that are based abroad operate without any issues in India, similarly to how they do in Japan. There are many online casinos and sportsbooks based abroad that operate in India, giving a wide variety of choices to Indian players.

The projected revenue for India's online gambling market is expected to reach USD 2.90 billion in 2024, with sports betting and online casinos driving growth.

Thailand

Online gambling in Thailand operates in a legal grey area, which is often the case in Asian countries as we've seen already. Strict laws prohibit most forms of gambling, but many Thai players gamble at offshore online casinos with minimal risk.

Despite these legal challenges, the online gambling market in Thailand is expected to hit a revenue of 538 million USD in 2024 and the market is consistently growing.

Philippines

Gambling is legal in the Philippines, with regulation overseen by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). However, local operators aren't allowed to offer online services to the residents, but Filipino players can still gamble online at offshore casinos.

The projected revenue for the Philippines' online gambling market in 2024 is expected to reach $670 million US dollars, making the Philippines one of the largest gambling markets in Asia after Japan and India.

Vietnam

Gambling is strictly prohibited in Vietnam, including online gambling, and the government is often enforcing penalties for those who break the law.

Despite legal restrictions, citizens often use VPNs to access offshore online casinos, although this comes with certain risks.

Singapore

Singapore has stringent gambling laws, just like Vietnam, including the Remote Gambling Act from 2014. However, Singapore offers certain exceptions for land-based casinos in certain resorts, making sure to provide gambling to tourists.

While online gambling is prohibited, players may use VPNs to access offshore casinos, risking stiff penalties in the process.

Final Thoughts

Despite many regulatory challenges which often result in confusion and leave loopholes for people to gamble online despite it being "illegal", online gambling in Asia continues to thrive, driven by increasing demand and accessibility.

Many countries allow citizens to gamble at online casinos based abroad, either explicitly or implicitly, contributing to impressive growth in the industry.

This trend is expected to continue, with some countries likely to revise their laws to accommodate online gambling and possibly fully legalise it, further fueling market expansion and innovation.