This is a paid guest post.
Betting has become one of the major sports activities in today’s society. However, different countries have a different set of rules and regulations governing gambling. While it is legal in most countries, some state finds betting and gambling illegal and stick rules are lied to counter or manage its undertaking.
Whether sports betting is legal or not, the subject is hard to make a ruling simply because each country has its own legislation regarding sport betting. A bigger percentage, however, does not cut a clear distinction if it’s legal or not, especially with the online sports betting.
Upon thorough research it’s clear that bookmakers of different companies have one thing in common, they are usually based in an offshore location. However, these bookmakers adhere to the rules of the state in which they operate. If you are living in a country where sport betting is allowed you can get a huge advantage by using sports betting bonus code when signing up.
Sports Betting in Australia
Betting in Australia goes back as long as 1810. It has remained to be the most popular form of gambling ever since and indeed, Australia is the world-leading gambling state. The legal gambling age in the country is set at 18 years. Approximately, more than 6 million people are active gamblers. This forms the world’s largest ration in gambling sports.
Australia is among the most attractive gambling hubs in the world because their laws are quite favorable when it comes to gambling. The winning in online gambling sites is not taxable! This is partly because the state does not consider the winnings as gains rather than purely luck.
Also, the responsibility of paying the tax is shifted to the bookmakers operating in the country.
Sport betting laws in Canada
The laws are laid out in the Canadian Criminal Code. In Canada, it is illegal to own or run a betting house without government approval. Operating the bookmaking business is prohibited with the government’s consent. Also, it is not allowed to place bets on behalf of someone else.
However, an important amendment in 1970 provided powers to individual states to authorize, license and regulate betting within its borders. This resulted to the construction of most land-based casinos and provincial state lotteries.
The only setback is that Canada does not allow single betting so all wagers must include multiple games.
Gambling in Belgium
This is the headquarters of the EU. The diverse cultural activities and commerce make it favorable for gambling, which can be traced back to 1300. Gambling is legal in Belgium, unlike most of the other EU nations.
The Belgium Gambling Act dictates that any operator who runs online sports betting in the region has to acquire a license for a land-based operation in the state too. In addition to that, there is a set limit on how many foreign companies can get access to operate in Belgium.
However, some foreign players still run and offer their services to gamblers in the region including bwin. The country put together a blacklist containing all the companies that tried to access the market illegally and through its ISP blocks any name featuring in the list.
Important to note is that the Belgian Gambling Commission is the only one among the European regulatory bodies to keep a close monitor on Belgian players. Any player found guilty of accessing unauthorized operators has to pay up to £25,000 as fine.
Germany
Gambling and betting are an integral part of German culture. It is considered a pastime undertaking hence leading to the boom of the industry. It’s obvious that football is the most common sport in the country and the reason being, they have won the FIFA World Cup 4 times, The Silver medal for 4 years and have managed to finish third on four occasions!
In all the sports gambling activities, football represents a staggering 80% and the rest share the remaining 20%. There are many big bookmakers that operate in Germany because of the unclear betting law. The top bookmakers include Bet365 and Bwin.
Italy
Italy has very strict laws when it comes to gambling. The only operators allowed were two, the National Olympic Committee and the Horse Breeders Enhancement Society. However, things changed from 2010 when the European Commission investigated the matter and found out the practices were against the EEC Treaty on freedom of providing cross border services.
The new gambling law came to effect in 2010 and complied with the Ec demands. A license for operation before entering the Italian market was to be issued by AAMS. Here, the most popular betting sport is football. In online gambling, Italy occupies the second position in terms of revenue generation after the UK. The best bookmakers here include William Hill and Betway.
The Netherlands
There are very few sports betting sites and online casinos that are willing to host their sites in the Netherlands. Online gambling is deemed as a serious enemy to the government and the only operators are only allowed to offer their services to Dutch punters. This resulted in massive illegal gambling hence the state relaxed its laws to allow some of the biggest and popular sites to operate in the country.
Despite the gambling laws been a grey area in the country, it generates a lot of money yearly on online sports betting. The most popular sport is football and hockey. Some of the best sportsbooks are Betway and William Hill.
The UK
The boom in the gambling industry in the UK is attributed to the Gambling Act which came in effect in 2007 and the ever-developing of online betting systems and games. It is considered one of the countries with the most betting friendly regulations in the world. Many forms of gambling are legalized including sports betting and also online gambling. Here, the king of sports is football and also the gambler’s choice on online betting.
The legal betting age is 18 years and the online betting sites must be licensed by the UK Gambling Commission before they can operate. The best online bookmakers include William Hill and Ladbrokes.
Singapore
The government here is very strict in matters of remote sports gambling. The Remote gambling Act strictly prohibits any form of remote sport betting with the only exemption that has been directed by the Ministry of Home Affairs or the Parliament.
All the biggest and popular websites in Europe, therefore, are locked out from the territory of Singapore. The exemptions made by the Ministry of Home Affairs only permitted Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club as the only online remote operators allowed.
The most popular betting sport is football, horse racing, basketball, and cricket. As stated above, the only online operators allowed are the Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club.
If you are a gambler, you just have to use a site that is adequately licensed and regulated but if they are operating illegality there should be a point of concern. You should focus on the information provided as the various legislation have been put in a clear and concise manner and you will be safe. Kindly note that this article is an extension of ongoing research and the aim is to ensure you know exactly how different laws affect the gambling sport differently.