China Casinos
Chinese Online Casinos
Virtually all forms of gambling in China are illegal. This goes doubly so for online gambling in China. There are one or two exceptions, such as the land-based casinos in Hong Kong and Macau. However, those are not considered pertinent to this article. Instead, we’ll focus on mainland China, where the laws make for grim reading.
Even though essentially every form of gambling is illegal, there are ways you can engage in online betting in the Far Eastern country. Our team has scoured the net to look for loopholes and sites that accept Chinese players. While we don’t recommend taking a risk (there are punishments if you get caught) unless you know what you’re doing, we will introduce those brave souls to a few top offshore Chinese casinos below and go into the topic in more detail on this page.
Best Real Money Online Casinos for Chinese Players
Online Gambling Laws in China
Is online casino gambling legal in China? By now, you will know that it is not. There are no legal gambling sites in China for you to join. Therefore, if you want to bet online, you’re going to need to find some illegal ones.
It is illegal to offer online gambling games in China or to provide those services to Chinese players. Locals who get caught visiting offshore casinos can be arrested, although there are precious few reports of Chinese authorities doing so. To stop locals gambling, the Chinese authorities implement ISP blocks on most foreign betting sites.
Moreover, financial institutions, such as banks, also block transactions to and from betting domains. For this reason, cryptocurrency gambling is rather popular in China. You won’t find any legit China online casinos to bet at, but we’ll discuss how you can join offshore sites below.
Online Casino
There are no legit Chinese online casinos licensed out of the country for you to join, and China blocks most major offshore casinos. However, with a half-decent VPN, cryptocurrency casinos are a possibility. Finding a top offshore casino relies on you being able to access it, mask your location (through a VPN), and using a payment provider that doesn’t block or report your activities, again, such as Bitcoin.
Online Poker
Online poker is illegal in China. Like with online casinos, the Chinese authorities block access to these sites. Even professional poker players can’t gamble online. However, there are offshore poker rooms that may be worth a look if you can reach them.
Online Sports Betting
Sports betting, oddly enough, is not deemed to be gambling. We all know that it is, but China doesn’t see it that way. For this reason, there is a state-run Chinese bookmaker you can use to place bets. However, you must visit a land-based venue to do this. Online sports betting is not legal in China, so again, you’re going to have to rely on foreign sites to do the job.
Online Lottery
Lottery games are legal in China, but only state-run lottos, and even then, you can’t play these online. Some Chinese players may opt to purchase tickets to international lotteries, but if you win big, you’re going to struggle to receive those winnings on account of Chinese banks blocking those transactions.
Online Bingo
Online bingo isn’t legal in China, either. The game isn’t that popular, so few Chinese players ever consider having a crack at this game.
How to Choose the Best Online Casino?
Given the risks involved, you need to ensure that you are playing at one of the most trusted online casinos for Chinese players. Safe online casinos in China are those that offer payment methods that aren’t monitored, that allow you to use a VPN to mask your location, and that accept Chinese players without a KYC process in place. You can find some of these sites in our online gambling reviews for China’s players.
- Casino Bonuses. Most offshore casinos offer bonuses and promotions, and Chinese players should be able to claim these. Again, though, we recommend crypto casino bonuses; that way, your gambling activity is more difficult to track.
- Games and Software. Chinese casinos often carry an array of games from many providers. However, you should choose a top casino (such as our recommended sites) to ensure that those games are pirated.
- The Reputation of the Casino. Chinese casinos sometimes have sketchy reputations and don’t provide the usual player protections such as responsible gambling tools. Many lack a KYC process to better protect Chinese players’ identities, but this makes them less trustworthy.
- Casino Customer Support. Customer support may be available in Chinese, but there aren’t many top sites that can offer this. In most casinos, English support is available.
- Payment Methods. China’s financial institutions block payments to and from betting sites, so any top Chinese casino worth its salt will offer alternative options, such as cryptocurrencies.
Online Casino Games Available for Chinese Players
As touched on, some sketchy Chinese casinos claim to offer the best online casino games in China, but they may be pirated. Therefore, it is important to choose online casinos that accept Chinese players and that have licenses to offer legal games. New online casino games in China should be RNG certified, have above average RTP rates and be audited to ensure fairness.
- Online Slots. Online slots in China often have a Far Eastern theme. Many major jackpot games don’t appear amongst the top slot machines in China.
- Online Blackjack. You can only play blackjack online for real money in China if you visit an offshore casino catering to Chinese players.
- Online Roulette. Similarly, the best online roulette gambling sites for China’s players will be those located offshore.
- Live Dealer Games. Playing live casino games online in China isn’t really an option at most sites.
- Other Online Casino Games. Many local favourites are banned in China. Even Mah-jong cannot be played, either professionally or casually, for real money.
Most Popular Casino Software in China
You won’t find many Microgaming casinos in China, and most of the best NetEnt casinos don’t cater to China’s players. However, the following software providers do frequently appear:
- BetSoft Gaming
- Pariplay
- RealTime Gaming
- Rival Gaming
- Vivo Gaming
Banking Information for China’s Players
As China blocks gambling transactions, there are few China-facing online casinos with PayPal deposit options. Even joining an online casino in China and using VISA is a big ask. Ideally, you should look for:
- Payment methods that accept the Chinese yuan currency.
- Deposit with US dollars using e-wallets if you can.
- Opt to use cryptocurrencies instead.
Notable payment providers which Chinese players may use include:
Cryptocurrencies
Given that cryptocurrencies are more difficult to track, we strongly recommend that Chinese players opt to use Bitcoin, Ethereum and other options at online casinos. There are plenty of our recommended sites that afford you this anonymity.
China’s Online Casino Bonuses & Promo Codes
Any of the best bonus online casinos in China will be based offshore. You may be required to enter China-friendly online casino bonus codes, but you’ll need an English keyboard to do that, or you can “copy and paste” the codes in.
Notably, some casino bonuses can be claimed in Chinese yuan, but the US dollar is the most common currency to claim Chinese casino bonuses in. Just be sure to check the terms and conditions to ensure that they are fair before snapping up any deal.
- No Deposit Bonuses. A no deposit casino in China (well, offshore) is a possibility. New Chinese no deposit casinos can provide you with small sums of cash to test drive a site before you decide to sign up and play there.
- Deposit Match. Claiming a first deposit bonus at a casino in China will provide you with a larger sum of money, based on the amount you deposit. Look for our Chinese online casinos with low deposit terms to find the best sites.
- Free Spins. You can also find online casinos with free sign-up bonuses with no deposit required in China. These offer free spins on selected slots but give you the chance to win real money.
- Reload Bonuses. Some offshore casinos offer Chinese players the chance to claim multiple deposit bonuses, even after they’ve claimed the initial welcome bonus package as a new player at the site.
