Macau and Hong Kong
Macau licenses land-based casinos under its own law. Hong Kong allows only the Jockey Club's betting and lotteries. Neither makes online casino play legal on the mainland.
What China's Criminal Law says about online casinos
China mainland governs gambling through the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China. China mainland's provision on gambling is cited as Criminal Law of the PRC, Article 303. The provision has been in force since 1997.
China mainland classes online casino play as Prohibited. China mainland also classes online lotteries as Prohibited. China mainland offers no licensing route either, because its licensing model is recorded as Prohibited.
These three statuses point the same way, and none of them depends on where a casino is licensed. A foreign regulator can authorise a casino to accept bets in its own jurisdiction. That authority does not extend into China mainland, so a casino's licence gives a player in China no legal protection. Players should treat an offshore licence badge as information about the operator, not as permission for the player.
Penalties for players, operators and promoters in China
China mainland sets different penalties for each role, and our country records keep a separate entry for the player, the operator and the promoter. The figures and legal references sit in the law facts above.
Players are the group most readers belong to. Players face fines and short detention under public security rules, not a criminal sentence for placing bets. Operators and promoters face the heavier criminal provisions, and those provisions cover people who organise Chinese citizens to gamble abroad.
Payment freezes sit alongside the formal penalties. Chinese authorities freeze accounts linked to gambling payments. A player who deposits to an offshore casino can therefore lose access to the account that funded the deposit, and a later withdrawal back to that account is not guaranteed to arrive. Players who feel gambling is getting out of control can read our guide to gambling addiction and where to get help.
Offshore casinos that accept players from China
Offshore casinos can still list China mainland among the countries they accept. Accepting a player and being legal for that player are different things. The first is a decision in the casino's terms. The second is a decision in Chinese law.
The ranking on this page compares casinos whose terms do not name China as a restricted country. Our ranking method scores each casino on its own checks, and a high position is not advice to play from China. Before registering, read the casino's terms, and our overview of terms and conditions at new casinos explains the clauses that matter, because restricted-country wording can change without notice.
Terms may also restrict bonuses by country, so a casino that accepts China could still withhold its welcome offer. Players should confirm each restriction with the casino in writing before depositing.
Minimum age and identity checks for players in China
China mainland records a minimum age of 18 for online gambling in its country data. That minimum age does not create a legal route to play, because online casino play is Prohibited.
Singapore's own limit for casino games is 21, as our footer notes. Casinos that accept players from Singapore often ask for identity documents before a first withdrawal. Our guide to why new online casinos ask for ID explains the reasons.
A passport or national ID shows a player's country of residence. A casino that finds a player in a restricted country may close the account under its terms.
What this means for Singapore players
This page covers China mainland, which is a different market from Singapore. A Singapore resident who visits China on business should not assume Singapore habits carry over. Our country pages compare how other markets treat online casinos.
The safest reading for a traveller is simple. In China mainland, do not play at online casinos, and do not move money to casino accounts. Where a player lives somewhere else, the local law of that place still applies, so check it first.
