- February 09, 2023
Analysis of Gambling Market in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is a region composed of 11 countries featuring diversity in religion, culture, and history. These countries are Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The region is not only known for its dynamic areas, but because of its large gambling market size, it has grown international significance as well. In fact, Asian gamers or gamblers partaking in the gambling industry have contributed to the massive growth of the global video games industry worldwide. The region proudly houses one of the two gambling giants - Singapore, wherein the largest casino market in the world is located. Additionally, Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines and Singapore were featured as one of the 15 biggest gambling countries in the world. With that being said, let us educate you on how big the Southeast gambling industry is, where you can legally gamble, what games Asian players are mostly fond of, and is the Southeast Asia gambling industry worth investing for in 2023.
Gambling Community in Southeast Asia
Asia, specifically Southeast Asia, is considered to be one of the fastest-growing gambling markets worldwide. Way back in 2022, Niko Partners, a research firm providing specialized market intelligence in Asian countries, had predicted that there would be a total of USD 82 billion in Southeast Asia game revenue in mobile and PC in the said year. They said that there could be at least 1.47 billion gamers in the region that will contribute to that forecasted revenue. In fact, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam contributed to 6% of Asia's game revenue.
Now, it is clearly seen that Southeast Asia has potential in the gambling market. It is predicted that the Southeast Asia gambling market size will increase by at least about 8.6% up until the year 2025. Its population, rising economies, and upgraded infrastructure will contribute to the rapid growth of the region in the gambling industry.
Countries Where Gambling is Legal
Despite the rapid growth of Southeast Asia in the gambling market, not all of its countries allow gambling. In fact, some of them ban gambling, like Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei, and Singapore. It is quite shocking to see that one of the gambling giants, Singapore, does completely allow gambling. They allow gambling in resort facilities or establishments. Therefore, you may not gamble publicly in this country. The question is, where can you gamble legally in Southeast Asia?
Philippines
You can gamble legally in the Philippines, mainly because there is already a law in the Philippines that regulates all gambling establishments in the country. The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) supervises and manages all White Label Companies in the Philippines. PAGCOR helped regulate physical casinos, lotteries and online gambling in the country. Therefore, it is much easier to gamble here than in other Southeast Asian countries. People that are at least 21 years old can gamble at any regulated casinos like Solaire, Newport, and Okada.
However, despite the legality of online gambling in the Philippines, the internet penetration in the country is not the best in the past years. But it was said that this year, 2023, the government has a budget for a faster internet for the country. However, not until that faster internet has been provided this year, the Philippines may not be your best option for online gambling. But if you do gamble in the Philippines, the country has its very own e-wallets, G-Cash and Maya, that you can use to deposit and withdraw your cash. Additionally, online gambling platforms available in the Philippines can provide you with the latest gambling games possible for your entertainment. Moreover, you can easily see publications or advertisements about gambling platforms on various social media platforms in the countries. Therefore, you wouldn’t miss out on anything. In fact, if you go on Facebook, there are many posts regarding online casinos that are looking for players.
As previously mentioned, gambling in Singapore is not entirely legal. Only those that are authorized, like casinos in resort establishments, are allowed to operate legally. In 2022, the Gambling Control Act 2022 and the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore Act 2022 became a law wherein they expanded the definition of the betting and gambling. Although, gambling is banned in the country, the exemption of the ban is “physical social gambling.” It means that the gambling that is taking place must be face-to-face conducted in venues, such as home, hotels, clubs, cafes, community centers, and chalets. Additionally, the “betting” must consist of players that know each other personally or belong to the same family. Lastly, it must not be non-commercial in nature and no participant shall win any payment.
One exemption to gambling ban laws in Singapore are those that are licensed. Therefore, if you want to gamble in Singapore pick a platform, whether online or offline, that is licensed or permitted by the government to operate. The government in Singapore takes an extra effort regulating even online gambling platforms. They can block those that are not licensed. Therefore, online gambling in Singapore may not be as easy as it seems. Additionally, be careful of accidentally gambling in public places. If you are seen gambling in public places even if your family are participants, you will have to suffer the consequences.
Thailand is another Southeast Asian country wherein gambling is not entirely legal. Horse racing and their national lottery are the only ones that are legal to gamble within the country. Nonetheless, there are many foreign gambling websites that locals and even tourists can participate in. These gambling websites welcome Thai people despite their country banning online gambling. In fact, Thai people much prefer online gambling websites than risking gambling physically since tracking online gambling activity is much harder.
Most popular gambling games in Southeast Asia Each country in Southeast Asia has its very own popular games. Below are some of the popular gambling games you may see Asians still love to play in 2023. Keno - Keno lottery is popular all over the world and has developed a variety of gameplays with the culture of various countries. The history of Keno lottery goes way back to the Han Dynasty, wherein a man invented the lottery game to raise supplies during the war. Pai Gow - Pai Gow means "nine," the maximum score of a hand in the game. Mahjong - Mahjong can be seen played by many Chinese gamblers in legal establishments in China. Pachinko - Pachinko is the most popular and favorite game in Japan's gambling industry. Cockfighting - Cockfighting is putting two animals together, most of the time a chicken, to fight one another. The game is very popular in the Philippines, Thailand, Bali, and India.
The Southeast Asia Gambling Market in 2023
As mentioned earlier, the gambling industry in Southeast Asia will increase further as the year progresses. To be precise, it is predicted that the market revenue of Southeast Asia gambling would be at USD 5.89 billion this 2023. Especially now, with the advancement in technology, like mobile phones and personal computers, people will likely get more inclined to gamble. Gambling is not only available offline anymore. More and more companies are launching their very own online gambling game.
Therefore, gambling in the gambling industry is becoming easier and more convenient for people living in a country where gambling is completely illegal. According to the Southeast Asian Gambling Market Analysis, the most significant impediment to the game industry is undoubtedly the local regulatory issue, which may also be one of the reasons for the rise of online games. Therefore, the increased internet penetration and lower cost of smartphones in the region will likely lead to more growth in the Southeast Asian gambling market. That being said, mobile game companies should start localizing their languages. It would be convenient for players to play games that feature the language they are familiar with. Hopeful businessmen can count on the Asians playing online games as almost no gambling websites are blocked in Southeast Asian countries. Therefore, online gambling platforms are deemed to be much safer by gamblers than physically gambling in casinos.
Investing in Southeast Asia Gambling Market in 2023
So the question now is, is the Southeast Asia Market worth investing in this year, 2023? Of course! If you want to enter the Southeast Asia gambling market or specifically the Southeast Asia mobile gambling market, and you don't know where to start, TC-GAMING is here to help you. TC-GAMING's Southeast Asia White Label will take the lead in advancing you to Southeast Asia, evaluate and analyze market trends and cultures, and provide customers with the most favorable Southeast Asia package network solutions, including Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Myanmar, India, Indonesia, and other Southeast Asian markets. We provide all-around multilingual and multi-currency support. Additionally, we include the most popular self-lottery chat betting, various lotteries in Southeast Asia, and a popular selection of Southeast Asian games. TC-GAMING understands what you need! We are your best choice for the Southeast Asia Gambling Market!