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Asia-Pacific · East Asia

Online gambling in China: regulation, licence and market guide

Prohibited Reviewed September 2026 Site language available

All commercial gambling is illegal in mainland China under Article 303 of the Criminal Law; only the state Welfare and Sports Lotteries are lawful, and online gambling aimed at Chinese residents is a priority enforcement target.

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Regulator
MPS, MOF, NPPA
Local licence for private operators
No
Operator tax
None; there are no licensed private operators. The two state lotteries retain prize, administration and public-welfare fund shares set by the Ministry of Finance (RMB 161 billion raised for the public welfare fund in 2024).
Player tax
Lottery prizes above RMB 10,000 are subject to 20% individual income tax withheld at payout; there is no tax framework for other gambling because it is illegal.
Currency
Renminbi (yuan) (CNY)
Languages
Mandarin Chinese
Payment methods players use
cash at lottery retail outlets, WeChat Pay and Alipay at retail terminals, no lawful rail for online gambling
Last reviewed
September 2026

Mainland China prohibits casinos, sports betting, poker and every form of online gambling. Article 303 of the Criminal Law punishes gambling for profit, running a gambling operation and, since Amendment XI took effect on 1 March 2021, organizing Chinese citizens to gamble abroad or online with foreign operators. The State Council authorizes only two lotteries, Welfare and Sports, which sold RMB 627.97 billion of tickets in 2025; internet lottery sales have been suspended since 2015. The Ministry of Public Security ran 73,000 cross-border gambling cases in 2024, dismantled more than 4,500 online platforms and works with payment institutions and foreign police to cut off operators targeting Chinese players. Hong Kong and Macau have separate legal systems and their own guides.

VerticalStatus in China
Online casinoProhibited
Sports bettingProhibited
Online pokerProhibited
LotteryMonopoly
Social casino (free to play)Restricted

Prohibited: Online gambling is illegal for operators and players and is enforced.

Who regulates gambling in China?

China gambling licence: how it works

No licence exists for private gambling of any kind in mainland China, online or land-based. The Lottery Management Regulations (2009) reserve lottery issuance to the China Welfare Lottery and China Sports Lottery under State Council authorization, prohibit any other lottery and ban the sale of foreign lotteries in China; unauthorized sales are a crime or an administrative offense. Internet and mobile lottery sales were suspended nationwide in March 2015 and had not resumed as of September 2026. Foreign operators may not hold, market or process bets for Chinese residents, and providing technology, payment or promotion services to a gambling operation is prosecuted as complicity.

What an applicant needs

  • Private casino, sportsbook, poker or online gambling: no licensing route exists
  • Lottery: State Council authorization only, held by the Welfare and Sports Lottery institutions
  • Retail lottery agents are appointed by provincial lottery centers; online sales remain suspended
  • Video games with gambling mechanics require NPPA approval, which has been withheld for poker and mahjong genres since 2019
Licence cost
No licence exists for private operators
Duration
Not applicable
Local entity required
Not specified
Processing time
Not applicable

Gambling taxes in China

  • Operators: None; there are no licensed private operators. The two state lotteries retain prize, administration and public-welfare fund shares set by the Ministry of Finance (RMB 161 billion raised for the public welfare fund in 2024).
  • Players: Lottery prizes above RMB 10,000 are subject to 20% individual income tax withheld at payout; there is no tax framework for other gambling because it is illegal.
  • Also: Criminal penalties under Article 303 range up to three years for gambling for profit and five to ten years for operating a casino in serious cases; participants can face administrative detention and fines under the Public Security Administration Punishments Law.

Advertising, player protection, KYC and payments

Advertising

Advertising gambling is illegal. Promotion of overseas casinos, online betting or foreign lotteries to Chinese residents, including through live-streaming, social media, apps and agents, is treated as part of the gambling offense, and platforms remove such content on request.

Responsible gaming

The state frames gambling as a public-security problem rather than a consumer market. Awareness campaigns run under the slogan that every bet is a fraud and a loss, a tourism blacklist restricts group travel to destinations that lure Chinese gamblers, and the lotteries carry age limits (18) and per-ticket prize caps.

Identity and age verification

Lottery retail sales are anonymous up to prize thresholds that require ID for payout. Banks and payment institutions must monitor and report gambling-related transfers under People's Bank of China rules.

Payments

No lawful payment rail exists for gambling. Police and the People's Bank of China target underground banks, borrowed accounts, commission-based payment platforms and crypto channels used to move gambling funds, and account holders who lend cards or wallets face prosecution for aiding cybercrime.

Notable restrictions

  • All casino, sports betting, poker and online gambling is a criminal offense for operators, agents and promoters
  • Organizing Chinese citizens to gamble abroad or on foreign websites is a specific crime since 1 March 2021
  • Foreign lottery sales and unauthorized domestic lotteries are prohibited
  • Internet lottery sales suspended since 2015
  • Cash-out or secondary trading of virtual items in games of chance is prosecuted as illegal casino operation

China iGaming market: size, players and payments

Lottery sales reached RMB 627.97 billion in 2025, up 0.7% (Ministry of Finance): Welfare Lottery RMB 208.58 billion and Sports Lottery RMB 419.39 billion. In 2024 sales were RMB 623.49 billion, up 7.6%. No reliable public estimate exists for illegal gambling by Chinese residents.

Lottery participation is broad and retail-based; sports lottery guessing games (football and basketball) accounted for 46% of 2024 sales by type.

Mobile payments are universal, but lottery apps may only locate outlets and display results because online ticket sales are suspended.

Two state lottery systems only; no private operators are permitted.

What players play
Sports Lottery football and basketball guessing gamesWelfare Lottery Double Color Ball and instant scratch ticketsSuper Lottomahjong and card games as free-to-play entertainment
How they pay
cash at lottery retail outletsWeChat Pay and Alipay at retail terminalsno lawful rail for online gambling

Timeline: how China got here

  1. 1987China Welfare Lottery launched, followed by the Sports Lottery in 1994
  2. 1997Revised Criminal Law Article 303 defines the crimes of gambling and operating a casino
  3. 2005-05Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuratorate interpretation sets thresholds for gambling crimes, including online gambling
  4. 2009-07Lottery Management Regulations reserve lotteries to the Welfare and Sports Lottery institutions
  5. 2015-03Internet lottery sales suspended nationwide
  6. 2020-08First tourism-destination blacklist for cross-border gambling takes effect
  7. 2021-03Criminal Law Amendment XI adds the crime of organizing Chinese citizens to gamble abroad
  8. 2025-02Ministry of Public Security reports 73,000 cross-border gambling cases and 4,500 platforms dismantled in 2024
  9. 2026-01Ministry of Finance reports 2025 lottery sales of RMB 627.97 billion

Outlook

Prohibition is settled policy. Expect continued joint operations with Southeast Asian police, repatriations of suspects, prosecutions of live-streaming and gaming platforms that embed cash-out games of chance, and tighter payment monitoring. There is no legislative movement toward licensed private gambling or a resumption of online lottery sales as of September 2026.

GameBridge and China

Not served by GameBridge. All private and online gambling is a criminal offense in mainland China, and organizing Chinese residents to gamble abroad is a specific crime, so no GameBridge brand may accept players located there.

Mainland China is excluded by GameBridge geo-controls by default, with IP, device, payment-country and identity-document checks used to block registration and play. This page exists so compliance teams can confirm the position quickly and understand that promotion, payment processing and agent activity aimed at Chinese residents are prosecuted as gambling crimes. The Chinese site locale is offered only for markets where play is lawful, and brands serving Chinese-speaking players elsewhere keep mainland China on the exclusion list.

Frequently asked questions

Is online gambling legal in China?
No. All commercial gambling, online or land-based, is illegal in mainland China under Article 303 of the Criminal Law, which covers gambling for profit, running a casino and, since 2021, organizing Chinese citizens to gamble abroad or online with foreign operators. The only legal products are the state Welfare Lottery and Sports Lottery sold through retail outlets.
Can foreigners get a gambling licence in China?
No. Mainland China issues no gambling licences to private companies, domestic or foreign, and the Lottery Management Regulations reserve lotteries to two state institutions. Providing platforms, payments or marketing to a gambling operation that reaches Chinese residents is prosecuted as complicity. Hong Kong and Macau operate under separate laws and have their own GameBridge guides.
How big is China's lottery market?
Ticket sales reached RMB 627.97 billion in 2025, up 0.7% on 2024, according to the Ministry of Finance. The Sports Lottery sold RMB 419.39 billion and the Welfare Lottery RMB 208.58 billion. Sales are retail only; internet lottery sales have been suspended since March 2015, and sports guessing games are the largest product type.
How does China enforce its gambling ban?
The Ministry of Public Security reported 73,000 cross-border gambling and related cases in 2024, more than 4,500 online platforms dismantled, 11,000 suspects arrested in 45 major cases and 3,700 suspects repatriated or persuaded to return. Courts impose long sentences on organizers, banks monitor gambling transfers, and a tourism blacklist restricts travel to destinations that recruit Chinese gamblers.
Are social casino games allowed in China?
Only in limited form. Games need NPPA approval, and the regulator has not approved new poker or mahjong titles since 2019; card and mahjong games without cash-out that were approved earlier still operate. Any game or live-streaming platform whose virtual winnings can be cashed out or traded has been prosecuted as illegal casino operation, as in the 2023 Banban case.
How does GameBridge treat China?
Mainland China is excluded by geo-controls on every GameBridge real-money brand by default, and Chinese identity documents are rejected at KYC. The country lists, KYC and payment-country checks are described on the compliance page; the regional picture is on the Asia-Pacific market page.

Sources and review

Reviewed against the sources below on 11 September 2026. Regulation changes; confirm the current position with local counsel before launch.

Regulatory summaries are provided for orientation only and are not legal advice. Licensing requirements change; we validate them with you during scoping.

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