Sports betting is extremely popular all over the world, this fact is indisputable. Asia is a special place on the sports betting map. In many Asian countries, gamblers place many bets every day on football, horse racing, baseball, basketball as well as many other sports.
Asian markets are some of the largest in the world. This is where the Asian handicaps that are so popular around the world come from. Players from these locations are known for their high stakes and search for high odds, with many professional players coming from Asia. Regardless of the location, this is a topic worth looking into if you are interested in sports betting.
Where are Asian players bettting?
Asian players use many local as well as global bookmakers. Of course, this also varies by country. Leaving aside the typically local bookmakers, among the exceptionally popular sites among players that are known worldwide are Pinnacle and Sbobet. These are extremely popular bookmakers equally outside of Asia, but their main markets (especially Sbobet) are in Asian locations. Many other Asian bookmakers and bet brokers are also available. Their common denominator is high odds, high limits and an emphasis on sports popular in Asia.
Sports betting in Asian countries?
✅ China
China is a huge betting market. Betting on football and other sports is extremely popular here. Betting over the internet is mainly done by Chinese people with bookmakers from the Philippines as well as other countries as Chinese law is radical when it comes to gambling, apart from lotteries the rest of the forms are done on the grey market over the internet. For this reason, cryptocurrencies are very popular payment methods in China. China is a large and growing market, according to many analysts in the industry the online betting market will see a strong growth in the next years.
✅ India
When thinking about betting in India, it is impossible not to start with cricket. It is the national sport in India. Interest is huge and bets placed on cricket tournaments reach insane heights. As in China, Indian players prefer payments via cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Tether etc. Cricket is the obvious king in India, but other sports are also very popular. For example, important football matches such as the Champions League also attract millions of Indians in front of their TV sets. India is also famous for its strong interest in sports exchanges such as Betfair.
Other countries
✔️ Korea
Betting popularity: In South Korea, betting is strictly regulated and the only legal forms of betting are horse racing and toto-games. Online betting is limited, but there is demand among younger players. Many players use offshore bookmakers and cryptocurrency payments.
Popular sports: Horse racing is the main betting area, as well as football and baseball.
✔️ Japan
Betting popularity: Online betting is not yet widespread, but growing interest could influence the future growth of the sector. The Japanese market is not fully regulated. The Japanese government is working on new regulations. As of now, this market is open to most gambling operators. Current regulations, although in some ways trying to restrict gambling, cannot do so as they were created decades ago and did not take into account the development of the internet.
Popular sports: Horse racing, baseball and football are popular sports that many Japanese bet on.
✔️ Vietnam
Popularity of betting: Betting in Vietnam is legal, but access is limited and most betting is done in the traditional way. The government has introduced new legislation to regulate the market more.
Popular sports: Football is the most commonly bet on sport, but also dog racing as well as local cockfighting.
✔️ Thailand
Betting popularity: Sports betting in Thailand is mostly illegal, but there are also legal options such as betting on horse racing. The government is considering the possibility of introducing more liberal regulations. For the time being, people in Thailand use global and Asian offshore bookmakers.
Popular sports: Football and volleyball are the most popular sports that Thais bet on.
✔️ Malaysia
Betting popularity: In Malaysia, betting is banned for most Muslim citizens, but there are casinos in unbanned areas. Online betting is illegal, although Malaysia boasts that their gambling laws are the most liberal of Muslim countries. And indeed it is; despite the ban, gamblers are not penalised; the regulator’s attention is focused on gambling sites.
Popular sports: Badminton, horse racing and football are quite popular.
✔️ Indonesia
Betting popularity: Sports betting is illegal in Indonesia and the law is strictly enforced. Other forms of gambling, such as casinos, dominate the country. Many Indonesians use VPNs to place online bets with foreign bookmakers, as the government blocks such sites.
Popular sports: Popular sports include sepak takraw, badminton and, of course, football.
Summary
Asia is an amazing place in terms of betting, casinos and other forms of gaming. According to many historians, it was from Asia, specifically China, that the first forms of betting and gaming originated. Today, the location’s sports betting market is heavily trafficked by many of the world’s gambling giants. This should come as no surprise given the world’s huge, largest population, which obviously translates into the number of people interested in betting. In addition, the high-stakes betting culture, the popularity of many sports to bet, the increasing penetration of the internet and the growing popularity of online payments are sure to keep Asian markets growing rapidly.
