The vast majority of countries in the world can gamble on sites like GGBet casino online smoothly and legally, but there are countries where this is not the case. In some jurisdictions, gambling isn’t just outlawed, it’s illegal. (Foto: Flickr)

The difference between the two is that you can get a prison sentence for just playing a slot game like Fire Joker. These restrictions have economic, cultural and religious reasons, but in any case, the outcome remains unchanged: some countries around the world have extremely strict sanctions against land-based and online gambling. So,which are these countries and what happens if you gamble there? Let’s take a closer look!

The United Arab Emirates 

What happens if you gamble?Prison sentence + fine
Applies to tourists?Yes

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) bans gambling for religious reasons. This is a country governed by the rules of Sharia, which are the teachings of the religion of Islam, and Islam sees gambling as a great sin. For this reason, gambling is strictly prohibited within the borders of the country, and this includes tourists. There is no land-based casino in the country. Playing on online casino sites is prohibited and also penalized.

  • Land-based or online gambling is sentenced to 2 years in prison.
  • The court may choose to impose a fine of 20,000 dirhams (approximately $ 5,500) instead.
  • If the gambling is played in a public place or in a house used for this purpose, the judge can freely increase these penalties.
  • Brokers of gambling (for example casino owners) receive 10 years in prison.
  • If the gambler is not a UAE citizen (a tourist), the judge may choose to deport instead of a penalty.

Remember that Dubai is also a UAE city: gambling is also prohibited in this popular tourist destination. The country is known to have underground casinos serving wealthy Arabs and tourists, but if you are not a multimillionaire, don’t expect to be invited to these places. 

Cambodia

What happens if you gamble?Prison sentence
Applies to tourists?No

Cambodia prohibits gambling for economic reasons. In Asian cultures, gambling is not considered a taboo, rather a popular pastime. Gambling is even thought to be a masculinity indicator: the more you gamble, the more “man” you are. As you can imagine, this approach raises many financial problems. Until 2009, it was legal to play slot machines, but numerous Cambodian citizens went bankrupt, and there was a lot of violence due to gambling debts, so the country had to ban gambling. Currently, there are 75 land-based casinos in the country, and tourists can gamble freely. However, gambling is strictly prohibited for Cambodian citizens: otherwise, imprisonment will be given. The duration of this punishment varies, but is generally less than 1 year. But all these measures against gambling hardly work: there is an illegal casino in almost every neighborhood in the country, and Cambodians are people who like to bet up to $1,000 on whether it is going rain in an hour – this game is called “chak teuk phliang”.

Singapore

What happens if you gamble?Prison sentence + fine
Applies to tourists?Yes

Singapore is an interesting country in terms of gambling laws because gambling and betting are generally legal: as long as these services are provided land-based and licensed, there are no problems. There are already multiple casinos in the country, and they can accept both tourists and citizens of Singapore. The problem is with the local culture: citizens of Singapore still prefer “gambling dens” to gamble (as they have done for decades). Generally, only tourists and wealthy Singaporeans use casinos in the country. We can say that almost all people prefer to gamble and bet in underground/illegal casinos. Country laws impose severe penalties for preventing this. If you gamble or bet in an unlicensed location, you will face up to 6 months in prison and a $5,000 fine. This includes tourists, and the judge can impose both jail time and fine at the same time. The problem is that this provision also applies to those who play at online casinos. There is no licensed online operator in the country, so no matter which casino site you play on, you risk facing these penalties.

Prohibition of gambling for whatever reason does not bring any benefit to that country: people just start to play in illegal underground casinos. By doing this, they both take on heavy financial risks and the government loses tax revenue. That’s why legal and regulated gambling is the best option: it offers a real benefit to both the state and citizens.

Komerční sdělení.