Late last week, the Asian Racing Federation (ARF) issued a report on the situation of gaming in Asia. The group disclosed alarming figures in it, including the claim that over half of the gaming platforms available in Asia are illegal.
If the ARF analysis is right, Asian countries will face difficulties. They don’t appear to be trying hard enough to block access to unlicensed gambling sites. Although it is a difficult undertaking, there are techniques to restrict access.
The survey looked at 534 online gaming sites from 61 different nations. The ARF discovered that just around 40% of them were operating under a regulator’s authorization. Many of them also disobeyed local ordinances and watchdogs.
Gray Market Betting Remains Popular
The majority of the 534 online gambling platforms evaluated operate in grey markets, according to the study. This is because they primarily target Asia, where gaming regulators are notorious for taking a long time to regulate illegal gambling. Furthermore, they do not always have the means to prosecute individuals who break the rules.
The websites assessed by the ARF were not chosen at random. Instead, authorities and the regional federation of horse racing organizations focused on well-known and trustworthy worldwide brands. Between 2019 and 2021, the survey found that over 260 online gaming platforms were the most popular gambling sites.
Furthermore, the group looked into a number of websites that were chosen at random and might have been operating unlawfully or without a license. According to the ARF, the majority of unregulated online gaming platforms have operational licenses from countries including the Philippines, Curacao, and Malta. Many uncontrolled websites have received permits from these three.
According to the ARF’s classification system, there are three sorts of industrial operators. Sites that are licensed to accept bets in the jurisdiction in which they are located fall into the first group. They are controlled because they are licensed.
The second group includes operators who are licensed by a country but are unregulated because they accept wagers from people living outside of that country. Gambling is frequently prohibited in these nations. Sites in the third category do not have a license.
Curacao, Malta, and the Philippines Need to Do More
According to the ARF statistics, these three nations and their separate licensing systems account for the majority of unregulated gambling websites. According to the organization, Curacao housed 31% of all criminals, while Malta housed 18%. According to the ARF, the Philippines is a “global facilitator” of illicit gaming.
Although the survey stated that unregulated gambling businesses in Asia might account for up to 80% of the market, the precise percentage is unknown. During the two-year survey period, websites in the grey market accounted for about 40 billion visits to online gambling sites. Between 2019 and 2022, these visits will account for 76% of all online gaming traffic.
According to the ARF, illicit internet gambling sites received roughly 6.78 billion hits out of total traffic. The most significant elements are website users and unique visits. During this time, nearly all of those polled (97%) accessed illicit gambling sites at least once.
Illegal gaming firms have exploded in popularity during the last decade. Because of the money they make in an unethical or unlawful manner, they may focus more on marketing and branding. It also enables them to provide bigger bonuses and take advantage of regulators’ uneven enforcement. Another factor might be the imposition of too much regulation, which was not addressed.
Junkets Add to the Problem
According to the research, junket operators are largely to blame for the region’s fast rise. Some have aided the spread of illegal gaming, but this is changing.
As junkets become less popular, one of two things will happen. They may stop influencing unlawful gaming, resulting in segment attrition. However, because their position in the business is under threat, they may be more inclined to promote illicit sites in order to recoup lost revenue. If some people were ready to disobey the regulations as a legitimate part of their job, they would not hesitate to do so now that they are being driven out.
