General Gambling Laws and Casino Legislation

Since gambling became a legal activity, it has been followed by controlling laws and regulations in order to regulate the industry and make it a safe place for gamblers to bet. Almost every country has laws focused on a minimum legal age that to play, in order to protect children and young adults. The minimum age differs from country to country.

Around the world, casinos operate like any other business and are obligated to pay taxes to the state. Gambling operators also need to hold a legal licence or else they will face consequences. India, UK, NZ all have their own gambling laws. If you live in any of them, keep reading to learn more about what is allowed in your country and what is not.

Gambling regulations in the UK

In many other states, you have to be at least 21 to be allowed to gamble but in the UK, you just need to be 18 or older. You will be requested an ID card to confirm your age. For lotteries and scratch cards, the minimum gambling age is 16. Offshore gambling is permitted if the site is licensed by the Commission of UK.

The land-based and remote casinos that are placed in UK should also hold a licence from the country's Gambling Commission. UK gambling operators also must comply with specific standards and codes of responsible advertising. The commission ensures that those sites take into consideration the laws against underage gambling or the social responsibility issues like health problems from gambling addiction.

Gambling regulations in India

India has 29 separate states and each state is allowed to legislate its own gambling laws. But Indian gambling laws are mostly non-existent. This means that even though there are plenty of legal casinos in India, some others operate in the black market, but the state hasn't taken any measures to stop them. In India, some gambling games are allowed and some aren't.

Horse racing, poker, lottery, or rummy are permitted in India. Meanwhile, some other games like Teen Patti, Texas Hold 'em, or cricket betting are banned. Differently from the UK, Indian Gaming Federations self-regulate all their advertisements. The legal age to gamble in India is 18 but some casinos don't allow players under 21 years old to enter because they serve alcohol.

Gambling regulations in NZ

If you live in New Zealand, you are allowed to play only in land-based casinos licenced by the state. The national laws don't support remote gambling, but NZ's laws never mention anything about offshore gambling so a lot of kiwis prefer online gambling because the best casinos are actually located offshore. Despite this, you should be careful when gambling on sceptical sites that can't be trusted.

Sports betting, scratch cards, lotteries, etc, are allowed for 18 yo players. But in order to enter the gambling part of a casino, you have to be at least 20 years old. Despite this, there are lots of online casinos that accept 18 years old players from New Zealand. Some gambling games like Keno, Bullseye, Play 3 Tickets, don't even have an age restriction.

Gambling regulations - Conclusion

As you saw, there are almost no two states that have the same laws and regulations on gambling. Some states like the UK are pretty specific on their dos and don'ts on gambling. Meanwhile, some states like New Zealand and India have yet to create laws on online and offshore gambling. The legal age to play also varies from country to country.

Huge countries like India, which are made from plenty of states, even have different gambling laws in each one of its provinces. If you want to play in an offshore casino, be careful and check if it is a legit and licensed gambling site. Despite the regulations of the state, everyone should be in charge of their own security.