Best 16 Online Casino​s in China

Gambling has been an attractive venue for entertainment and profits for as long as man has existed. The very nature of risking something for a greater payoff induces excitement in the human mind. While it is difficult to pinpoint when and where gambling originated, many historians and experts believe it all began in ancient China. Therefore, China has the largest and most complicated history of gambling in the world.

Experts have found gambling records dating back as far as 2,100 years B.C. Interestingly enough, it is known that the game we know as Keno was played around this time. What’s more, games with similar traits to Poker and Blackjack were also thought to be played by Chinese upper-class citizens and members of its military.

Throughout history, gambling had a similar view by the government as it does today; it was thought of as an evil obsession that would generate serious problems in society. Therefore, it has been officially banned or frowned up even during ancient times.

Yet, this did not stop the Chinese people, and during the Spring and Autumn periods (771 to 476 BC) in China, gambling became completely mainstream. Nearly everyone was indulging in wagering on various games, from villagers on the country side to high class citizens and military men, the latter of which often faced repercussion for overindulgence. During the Tang (617 – 908 A.D.) and Northern Song (950 – 1128 A.D.) dynasties, the first forms of gambling venues i.e. casinos began to appear. It is around this time that Xuan He Pai was invented, which is the basis for modern day Mahjong.

Gambling continued to thrive in the middle ages as well, and many people began to treat it as a form of livelihood, which read to obvious problems.

As such, links with underground criminal activities and corruption became inevitable. The years 1930-1950 also introduced many new games to the Chinese market, but not long after the People’s Republic of China was formed (1949) gambling took a major hit as all gambling activities were completely outlawed. Today, only state-run lotteries are legal in China, and bettors can indulge in placing wagers on horse racing and sports matches. However, this has not stopped Chinese people from placing wagers in online casinos through VPN proxies. It is estimated that illegal bets valued at over one trillion Chinese yuan ($140,000,000+) are placed on an annual basis through mainland China.

In Hong Kong, which is a partly autonomous region of China, some forms of gambling are legal, as the region is allowed to form most of its own laws. In fact, gambling in Hong Kong has been legal since 1977.

Macau, known as the Las Vegas of the east, has actually surpassed Vegas in terms of revenue back in 2007, with annual gambling revenues exceeding $28 billlion. Gambling in Macau has been legal since 1850. Today, the region hosts over 35 land casinos, attracting millions of tourists on a yearly basis, many of which are wealthy citizens from other parts of China.

Most forms of gambling are illegal in China, with the exception of state-run lotteries. This means online gambling is illegal as well. This has been the case ever since the foundation of the People’s Republic of China, in 1949. Mao Zedong, who governed the country at the time, considered gambling a great ill of society, and banned it entirely throughout the country.

Hong Kong and Macau are considered exceptions, and both have legal forms of gambling as they govern their own laws. Macau in particular is famous for its lucrative land casino business that rakes in billions of US dollars on an annual basis.

It is estimated that that over $140,000,000 in online bets comes from China on an annual basis. Despite efforts on part of the Chinese government to block gambling websites, citizens can access online casinos through VPN proxies, as well as send and receive payments through various e-wallet payment providers and cryptocurrencies.

Article 303 of the Criminal Law of China states the following: ’ Whoever, for the purpose of profit, gathers people to engage in gambling, runs a gambling house or makes gambling his profession shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention or public surveillance and shall also be fined.”

This means that casual gamers can face legal repercussions for engaging in online gambling. In practice, however, this happens extremely rarely. In most cases, individuals are faced with a fine no higher than 3,000 Chinese yuan. State-backed television channels in China make an effort to overstate the punishments for casual gambling, and report unrealistic number of arrests and fines in order to scare off the public from gambling. This is because the government loses a huge portion of potential tax revenue as all online bets are placed in off-shore casinos. This, in turn, could lead the country to regulate its own online gambling market.

In the end, profits may be the catalyst for the government to change its mind regarding online betting, but as of right now, it is still illegal to gamble.

You should not get in trouble for placing online bets, but we do recommend using a VPN to protect yourself.

Chinese players have enjoyed many forms of gambling over the centuries, and many of the games we know today have originated from the country’s ancient heritage.

Faith is a strong aspect of Chinese culture, which is why Chinese people often prefer pure games of chance with no skill factor involved, as they believe their faith will lead them to luck.

Slot machines are beloved across the globe, including among the Chinese player base. As online casinos offering their services to China are powered by the best slot providers in the industry, you can expect hundreds of Classic, Video and Progressive Slots on offer.

Table Games are a popular inclusion in every online casino with the likes of Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat and Poker. However, many of these online casinos also include Chinese hits such as Mahjong, Pai Gow, Pai Gow Poker and Sic Bo.

Baccarat is essentially a 50/50 game that’s easy to pick up and is highly popular in the country. Pachinko, a game with Japanese origins ever since the middle ages, has also caught the attention of Chinese gamblers, and many of them enjoy it today.

Mahjong, the tile game, has strong roots in China, and has spread to other parts of Asia as well, most notably in Japan. The game is still enjoyed in China today in both legal and illegal forms, including in many online casinos who prominently feature this game.

Sic Bo is also a popular game of choice in Chinese culture, as the game is over a thousand years old. Sic Bo boasts many betting options and is more complicated to get into, but it can be enjoyed at many online casinos offering their services to Chinese players.

Keno, which originated in China, is also popular to this day, as are Pai Gow and Pai Gow Poker. Of course, the Chinese love sports betting as well. Soccer and basketball are the most popular sports in the country, and many Chinese residents turn to online sportsbooks for their sports betting needs.

Video Poker is not exactly the most popular game type in China, but Chinese online casinos often feature the likes of Deuces Wild, Jacks or Better and Aces & Eights, among other common titles in this category.

The number of online casinos that offer their services to Chinese players is high, and making a choice on where to play can be often difficult even to seasoned veterans.

We are here to make this process easier for you, and as you read below you will l learn more about how we review casinos, and which factors we look at to determine their quality and trustworthiness.

As gambling is highly popular in China, many of the world’s leading casino and sports betting brands do their utmost to market themselves to the Chinese player base. Since gambling ads are illegal in China, many of these operators will look to advertise their Chinese-focused online casinos and sportsbooks via sponsorship on famous sports teams, such is the case with kit sponsorships in various high-profile teams of the English Premier League.

What we wrote above may not seem like it has much to do with security of Chinese online casinos, but it aims to prove a point – gambling companies are very serious when it comes to Chinese gamers, and they would never wrongfully treat any Chinese player.

Of course, more tangible proof of security for Chinese players can be the fact that these online casinos are licensed and regulated by the market’s most respected licensing bodies, such as the Malta Gaming Authority and United Kingdom Gambling Commission.

Any casino licensed by these regulatory bodies is a certain sign of trustworthiness. Those operators with shady practices have long lost their license to offer gambling services, meaning you have nothing to worry about when gambling at any of our recommended online casinos.

Every online casino that is accepting of Chinese players is available in traditional and simplified Chinese. In some exceptions, a casino may accept Chinese players, but will not be available in any of China’s languages. You can still play at this casino just like in any other, but you will need some mastery of the English language, especially when requesting customer support.

Customer support at Chinese online casinos is generally at an excellent level, with the casino offering players multiple venues of seeking assistance: Live Chat (24/7 – 7 days of the week), Telephone (International Toll-Free numbers) and Email (with 12-24 hour response times). This means that as a Chinese player you can expect smooth gaming sessions. Whenever you’re in a pickle, simply request an audience via live chat, and you will typically receive a response within a minute or two.

Security, customer support, payment options, these are all highly important aspects of each online casinos. Ultimately, however, a casino must have a quality set of games in order to retain players, and it is a big aspect we look at when reviewing each online casino.

Fortunately, Chinese online casinos are often licensed within Europe, which allows them to feature games by prominent software companies such as Net Entertainment and Microgaming, boasting state-of-the-art games of sublime quality, variety in themes and excellent payout mechanics.