Comparing Sports Betting Laws Around the World

North America

United States

In the United States, sports betting has evolved in recent years and has had a major shift. The legalisation of sports betting can be attributed to the supreme court of United States which in 2018 passed laws to repeal the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act 1992 (PASPA). Hence, about 21 states including New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania has legalized sports betting with more underway. Currently, individual states can legislate sports betting on their own territory, which results in highly variable legislation.

Canada

It should also be noted that the position of Canada on sports betting has also changed relatively recently. In Canada specifically in 2021 the government passed the bill c-218 that was in favour of single event sports betting. Until then, the Canadians were able to wager only on the parlays where more than two outcomes had to be guessed correctly. Single event betting will be available in the provinces that will be allowed to regulate this means of betting under the new law to increase its flexibility and the probabilities of the betters.

Europe

United Kingdom

Out of all the countries in the world the United Kingdom certainly has one of the most opened and free markets for legal sports betting. The practice of sports betting was legalized and for the first time, was to be regulated under the Gambling Act of 2005 though the submissions included other forms of gambling. The UK Gambling Commissions regulates the industry with regards to the fairness of games, the protection of the consumers and responsible gambling. One will not go wrong when deciding to engage in the practice as several outlets licensed to handle the service are available locally and in the online platform, as the betting shops.

Germany

Future of sports betting in Germany has been a bit unstable. The Interstate Treaty on Gambling that started in 2021 was an effort to standardize the laws governing the same all over Germany. It only copied most of the rules regarding online sports betting but placed a lot of conditions that restrained the operators from freely advertising their websites, or required to verify their players constantly. However, some over the counter products of contraception are available but regulated by states within Germany hence the difference in the level of enforcement.

Sweden

Sweden spared no radical changes in 2019 with the start of the Gambling Act. This legislation liberalised the clamp market by permitting the private operators to apply for licenses that would enable them to provide sports betting. There is the Swedish Gambling Authority (Spelinspektionen) supervising the sector and making sure that the operators follow the legislations that are aimed at helping the consumers and fighting against the illegitimate gambling.

Asia

China

In China, it is very hard to wager on sports events because of the strong limitation and control that the government has put in place on this activity. However, currently there are only two platforms which are legal to engage in for sporting activities, which includes China Sport Lottery as well as China Welfare Lottery. These lotteries only permit recourse to betting on a narrow set of sports and events. Any type of betting, specifically focusing on sports, is prohibited and can lead to serious consequences. However, this only goes to show that, no matter the restrictions put in place, there will always be people who indulge in unlawful means to address the demands for sports betting.

Japan

Thus, the Japanese approach towards sports betting is much more stringent than that of other developed countries. Gaming is permitted only on a restricted number of activities such as horse racing, bicycle racing, motorboat racing and motorcycle racing. Horse racing betting is operated by the government established organisation called JRA: Japan Racing Association while other legal means of betting is looked into by respective sports bodies. Pertaining to other sports such as football and baseball betting is prohibited in Japan and therefore the Japanese punters have to resort to offshore websites.

Australia

Today, Australia has a well-developed legal system of betting on sports with further development. Since the operation of the sports betting activities is legislated in each state and territory, each state and territory has its own regulatory body. Currently, the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001 has regulated online sports betting where in play betting is not allowed but pre-match betting is legal. Australian operators need licenses from the state authorities which also dictate consumer protection and responsible gambling policies.

Africa

South Africa

Sports betting remains one of the most popular forms of gambling, and although South Africa has a relatively more advanced form of the market in terms of the other African countries. The National Gambling Act of 2004 contains provisions to establish and regulate gambling in South Africa, including sports betting. The South African National Gambling Board oversees the industry and, at the provincial level, each province has its own board. While sports betting in full operation, this is legally practised through licensed outfits both offline and online.

Nigeria

The essentials of football and mobile technology have boosted Nigeria’s sports betting industry which has grown relatively fast. The regulation of sports betting activities is under the National Lottery Regulatory Commission which provides licences to operators. Despite an expansion of this market, there are still a number of issues, namely, the lack of effectiveness of legislation protection and the presence of many offshore companies.

Conclusion

Trying to predict the future of the new legal realties of the sports betting is very delicate since it depends on the cultural, economical and legal environment of every state. Some nations actively adopt the policy of liberalization and regulation throughout the securities markets while others persistently preserve stricter or complete bans. With the ongoing change in the social consumer demands proposing increased interest in the sports betting, it can be expected that more countries will consider the issue and may change or amend their laws evenly balancing the consumer protection, economic adventages, and responsible gambling.