Best betting sites in China
China, a country known around the world for its production capabilities, impressive culture, and its staggering population, has a legitimate hunger for sports. The Chinese national teams have enjoyed a steady presence on the podium in any gymnastics competition they take part in, and its basketball league has supplied many superstars to the NBA. Lately, football is also enjoying a lot of popularity in China, with top players like John Obi Mikel, Hulk, Carrasco, Lavezzi and Mascherano choosing Chinese clubs towards the end of their careers – to the delight of football fans and betting sites in China.
With this insatiable appetite for sports and a rich past in terms of betting and gambling, the Chinese couldn’t stay away from such endeavours, despite all forms of gambling being banned on the mainland. With no Chinese betting sites to enjoy, the Welfare Lottery and the Sports Lottery are the only legal gambling activities in China along with the exclusive gambling zone of Macau, since the Chinese don’t count lotteries as gambling. The complete shutdown on land-based and online betting has been in place since 1949 when the communist party came to power and has led to a booming underground online betting industry. So, there’s nothing to worry about, there are plenty of Chinese sports betting sites to enjoy, and we’re here to help you find the best ones.
Top betting sites for Chinese players
How Betting Takes Place in China
Since all the possible forms of gambling, both online and offline are blocked, the Chinese online betting scene is 100% composed of international bookies offering their services to Chinese players. So, the simple answer to the “Is online sports betting legal in China?” question is a definite no. However, betting websites found ways around restrictive legislation. If you’re adamant about enjoying licensed gambling activities, your only options are the two lotteries active in the country that is flourishing with an estimate of $80 billion in 2018. And despite the Sports Lottery being the closest thing to sports betting, where you can predict the outcomes of international soccer matches, it’s not the same as wagering on betting sites in China. Even though the two lotteries technically make gambling legal in China, Chinese punters are put off by the fact domestic games aren’t available due to fears of match-fixing or other illegal activities.
Strictly from a sporting point of view, Horse racing and greyhound racing are also extremely popular in China, however, betting on these races is also illegal. While there were talks about legalizing betting on horse races on the island of Hainan, there’s no real progress being made. So, don’t expect to get a definite answer to “ is bet365 legal in China?” anytime soon as it seems the authorities are determined to crush any potential online betting initiative.
A long list of measures against online gambling was adopted by the government. And to intimidate punters from turning their attention to international online bookies, the Chinese authorities imposed fines, prison time and lowering social credit points.
However, since it’s practically impossible to police the internet, these foreign websites can still be accessed through VPN software and mirror websites. Many of them are blocked by ISPs; however, there’s always a way around, especially taking into consideration China’s appetite for technology.
Also, besides online betting websites that genuinely want to allow Chinese players to bet on their favorite sports and teams, there are a lot of illegal websites without any license that have one goal only – to scam as many punters as possible. That’s why it is imperative to check the license of the bookmaker you use and always choose your online sports betting sites from trustworthy sources, such as Helpbet.
Things Every Betting Site in China Must Offer
In the list of Chinese betting companies displayed on this page, you’ll find top bookies that excel in offering their customers high odds and diverse betting markets on football, table tennis, basketball or badminton. On top of that, since there’s no possibility for online betting in China, punters appreciate the international websites that go to such lengths as translating the website or providing customer support in Chinese. Asian handicaps and plenty of in-play betting markets are also nice touches that should be taken into consideration by any bookie that wants to stand out from the crowd.
Can Punters from China Access Foreign Betting Sites?
As previously mentioned, the authorities are sparing no effort to block access to unlicensed operators. And since trying to block online bookmakers is a losing fight, the Chinese government called on other Asian nations to join the fight against illegal gambling. Despite all these efforts, there’s a long list of Chinese betting sites still accessible through VPNs and mirrors, which are often provided by the operators themselves.
Just recently, China urged the Philippines to join their fight and ban online gambling. However, despite such measures, betting websites in China continue to find ways to avoid the roadblocks imposed by the authorities. No matter how hard the totalitarian government struggles, punters in Zhongguo will always be able to access the best Chinese bookmakers as long as an internet connection is available. Unfortunately, all these blocks also boosted the numbers of underground betting sites that are an actual threat to punters since they follow no rules whatsoever.
What Payment Methods Can I Use on Chinese Betting Sites?
Sadly, the harsh crackdown on online betting has also hit deposit methods in China. Chinese punters have limited options when it comes to topping up their accounts with bookmakers. China usually blocks most card payments, and Alipay or UnionPay are accepted at very few international bookies. So, when it comes to depositing at China betting sites, your best bet is to go with ewallets such as Skrill and Neteller. There are various ways of topping up the ewallet account, and cryptocurrency also is an excellent alternative for depositing on China online betting sites.
Are Betting Exchanges Available in China?
Since there are no licensed online bookmakers, talking about betting exchanges – which are considered to be more advanced and complicated from a legislative point of view – makes no sense. However, just like with other instances of sports betting in China, legal betting exchanges licensed by either MGA or UKGC can be accessed through VPNs. Betfair is considered to be the go-to-betting since they were the first ones to offer this product and are still going strong many years later.
Where Can I File a Complaint About a Chinese Betting Site?
Addressing the licensing authority directly for the bookmaker you are playing at. Be it UKGC, MGA, PAGCOR or any other international organism, you should get in touch with them in case the bookie doesn’t respect its promises. Since there’s no local authority for online betting, there’s nobody to turn to when it comes to underground bookies. Alternatively, you can let us know about your issues, and we will do our best to mediate the process.
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