Examples of gambling legalization in other countries and tells where and how it functions.
Las Vegas
When it comes to gambling, perhaps Las Vegas is the first place that comes to mind. The city in the western United States, which is located in the state of Nevada, has long been one of the largest centers of gambling. It is known that about 42 million tourists visit the city every year and each of them spends an average of $541 exclusively on gambling.
In 2018, casino revenues in Nevada exceeded $11.9 billion, the third-largest record in the history of the entire state. But the average salary in Las Vegas is at $48,300 a year.
The gambling business in Las Vegas has been thriving since the last century. Since the founding of the city in 1905, there have been different games, but in 1919 they were forbidden. Twelve years later – in 1931 – all over the state of Nevada people were allowed to play for money again, and since then the number and variety of casino games only continued to grow, attracting millions of tourists every year.
Now gambling is allowed in almost every state in the U.S. except Hawaii and Utah, and each state’s legislation controls the mining business in its own way. But the largest gambling center is still Nevada.
Macau
In China, gambling is considered illegal and the only gambling available to locals is the state lottery. Nevertheless, it is still possible to try your luck in China. All gambling entertainment is located in two places – Hong Kong and Macau.
In Hong Kong the range of available entertainment is not too wide – the same lottery, mahjong, bets on horse races and soccer. But Macau is considered to be one of the centers of world gambling, because here you can find everything. That is why Macau is often compared to Las Vegas.
According to a report of the international bank Bernstein Bank in mid-December 2017, the total revenue from gambling in Macau has already reached $ 1 billion. At the same time, daily revenue in December was about $102.3 million. And global analysts at all believe that by 2022, gross casino revenues in Macau could reach $53 billion, and gambling entertainment will become a mass phenomenon, not an elitist.
Monaco
If Las Vegas is just a city, and Macau is an administrative area, then Monaco is an entire state for lovers of gambling entertainment. The first casino was opened there in the mid-19th century, and now there are four large land-based legal casinos in Monaco.
It is also interesting that the natives, of which only about 20% in Monaco, do not pay taxes, but simply live on various benefits and subsidies. By the way, locals are not allowed to play in the casino: only visitors to Monaco have this right. In fact, all this is connected – if locals gamble, it will entail a waste of public finances, on which they live.
90% of the economically active population here is employed in the service sector. On average, all four casinos annually earn about €210 million, but the part of gambling in the economy of the country is not too weighty – only about 6% of GDP.
European countries
Gambling is allowed in many European countries. England, Portugal, Sweden, Netherlands, Germany – everywhere you can try your luck legally at slot machines or at roulette. As a rule, gambling business was legalized in most countries at the beginning of this century, and now the sphere is under the strict control of the state, transferring money to the treasury.
But still there are nuances. For example, in Germany there are more than 60 casinos, but online gambling is prohibited. Nevertheless, in 2015 the revenue of German casinos was 641 million euros, and the country was on the fourth place among European countries by the amount of income from gambling.
The UK had 147 casinos as of 2016, with annual revenues of more than 15.7 billion euros. Revenue from the online market was also impressive – 4.9 billion euros. By the way, all gambling in the UK state.
A similar model operates in Italy. There are also only state-owned casinos, but there are only five of them in the country. Since 2011, introduced a strict control over lovers of gambling. For example, wishing to play in land-based casinos should have chips on hand a total value of not less than 250 euros.
It is also interesting that gambling business is legal in our neighbor – Poland. Back in 2009 a law was passed there, which regulates the operators in this market. As for the online, there are quite strict restrictions and only four Polish companies are allowed to conduct this business on the Internet. As of 2015 there were 49 land-based casinos in the country, and their annual revenue amounted to 126 million euros. By the way, revenue from online casinos was not much less – 83.2 million euros.
In Poland almost all types of gambling are allowed, but with some restrictions. For example, poker can be played legally only at tournaments organized by land-based casinos with at least 10 participants. Although this business is legal in the country, it is strictly forbidden to advertise it.
Top 10 of gambling games popular among players all over the world
The range of modern gambling games is very diverse: lotteries, slots, bingo, sports betting and more. What types of gambling are the most popular among players?
Modern types of gambling are presented in a wide variety of variations, forms and types. They can vary in difficulty, availability and degree of risk. The outcome of some depends solely on luck, and there are those where the result is influenced by human skills. Some of the types of gambling are invariably popular with many players. Consider the top 10 gambling games, as well as their main advantages.
Lottery
This type of gambling is a game of chance, the principle of which is based on random selection. It is on the fall of certain numbers or symbols that the distribution of winnings and their final size depends. Lottery is a classic example of a game where the result depends solely on chance, and the player can only rely on luck.
This is what attracts many people to play lotteries: the cost of the ticket or contribution is often affordable for everyone, and this game does not require special skills. The jackpot amounts are very tempting and are often measured in thousands and even millions.
The European lottery EuroMillions is considered to be the biggest and most popular jackpot prize. Its biggest win ever was €185 million, with an average jackpot of €48 million.
Slots
The main advantage of slot machines is that they can run autonomously, independent of the casino staff. With the development of gambling on the Internet there are also many online versions of slot machines. The principle of the game is based on chance: a person makes a bet, rotates the drum and gets a win if the same symbols fall out.
Slot machines used to work on mechanics, now they are all digital, which increases the reliability of the system and attracts more players. The slot machine’s playing field is a screen on which the numbers chosen by the generator appear. According to the result, a person can get a win, the amount of which exceeds the bet by tens of times.
The opportunity to get rich as well as the instant response is attractive to gamblers: there is no need to wait several days for the draw, you can win here and now. In addition, modern slots are very diverse in complexity, graphics and themes.
Betting
This type of gambling involves betting on the outcome of sports matches, political and other public events. The main goal of the player in this case – to correctly predict the result and to receive for it the winnings. This type of gambling requires players to have certain analytical skills, the ability to draw conclusions and make predictions based on logical conclusions.
Betting can also be done in the simple way – relying only on luck, but it is very risky: as a result, many inexperienced players lose large sums. It is possible to predict the finals of sporting events, television series, entertainment shows and many other events.
You can bet money in online and offline bookmaker offices, and if you use analytics and gather information about the event beforehand, your chances of winning will increase.
Blackjack
This is the most popular card game, also known as “Twenty-One”. Its meaning is simple: the player needs to score exactly 21 points with cards of a certain value. The price of cards in blackjack does not change, the outcome depends on both randomness and the skill of the players.
For example, based on the cards in his hand, the player can calculate what’s left in the deck, and think out a winning strategy. Features of the game in “21” assume the presence of opponents, real or virtual. Bets are placed at the beginning of the game, the main goal – to beat the dealer.
Popular in all the casinos around the world, the game attracts gamblers with its simple rules and the relative ease of calculation.
Poker
This card game is different in that its success depends almost entirely on the player’s skills. In order to take part in it, you need to be able to make mathematical calculations and analyze the situation well. Tournament poker is officially recognized as a sport in many countries.
The game is played against rivals and consists of several stages, at the beginning of which players make bets. At the same time there is a distribution of cards. In the end, the player who makes the most profitable card combination wins. At each poker phase, it is possible to quit the process by simply not placing a new bet.
A poker player’s best helper is bluffing: the ability to bet convincingly even with a bad hand, forcing opponents to finish the game.
Roulette
Roulette is present in both offline and online casinos, and is played in every corner of the world. The essence is that the player needs to guess the number that will fall on a spinning drum with digital values. Determines the correct number of a small ball, which is thrown to the roulette wheel.
There are two types of the game: European and American. The first has 37 sectors with numbers from 0 to 36, and the second has 38 sectors with values from 0 to 36 and an additional cell 00. Roulette attracts gamblers with its simple rules and the ability to make a quick profit.
Bingo
Many people know the principle of this game from children’s bingo, which many played with the whole family. Each participant in the bingo has cards marked with certain numbers. With the beginning of bingo starts spinning a drum, which consistently fall balls with numbers. Players have to mark their own fallen numbers: the first one who collected the combination on one of the cards wins.
Bingo is based entirely on chance and is similar in principle to lotteries. TV draws are also conducted according to the rules of this game. Bingo can be played for money or for fun. The British version uses 90 balls, while the American version uses 75 balls.
Baccarat
Baccarat is an ancient card game, which originated in the 15th century and used to be considered an entertainment for aristocrats. Its rules are somewhat reminiscent of blackjack: players are dealt two cards and have to get nine points. To do this, they can take another card (or decide not to).
In modern casinos, it is often possible to play such a variation of it as mini-baccarat (against the establishment). There are several types of this game, including eight decks, with different rules of dealing and buying, as well as different order of payment.
Craps (Dice)
The oldest of all possible gambling games, craps has been popular since ancient Egypt. Players should guess what number will fall on the edges of two dice. Dice roll produces a player himself, it occurs at a special table with high sides. Take part in the game can be up to 20 people.
Craps attracts its unpretentiousness and dynamism, the game is based entirely on chance. However, there are about 20 types of craps bets, and you have to know them well in order to succeed in the game and increase your chances of winning.
“Wheel of Fortune”
One of the varieties of games, the principle of which is similar to lotteries and bingo. Winning in “Wheel of Fortune” depends entirely on chance: the player spins the wheel with the image of prizes and bonuses, and then receives the fallen gift. In some versions of the game, a person must meet additional conditions in order to receive a prize dropped on the reel (for example, to correctly answer a question).