Online casinos accepting players from Taiwan

Different jurisdictions...

... have their own perception of gambling as a form of legal practice on their territory, and this has been the case since the early days up until today. Countries have always been divided on this topic, with some adopting the practice wholeheartedly, and others viewing it as a social menace. 

The former ones have been largely in charge of the progress and advances made in the industry to this day. These countries tend to have had some form of gambling in their past, and simply build upon this tradition with the tools available. Therefore, the first dice games were only available after people carved the dice out of wood and hand-painted them with the respective symbols. Later on, when these establishments commercialized from a random pastime into a business, entire industries were set up in order to provide top gameplay. 

Most recently...

... gambling enthusiasts and countries with a developed awareness on the industry’s potential recognized the Internet as yet another powerful tool. Soon afterwards, the first virtual gambling floors were born, and much like everything else found online, these establishments removed the constraints of physical distance, geographical borders and other former issues obstructing the industry from reaching its full potential. 

All the while, there has been an opposing block of nations refusing to see beyond the outdated stereotypes on gambling. Many of these are otherwise progressive, yet their stance on gambling continually prevents the market segment from reaching its full potential on respective territories.

The Asian gambling marketplace is an interesting example of these two parties. Some countries have largely adopted this practice as legal pastime, while others put in a lot of efforts to prevent it from further development. What is more, the activity alone is quite deeply embedded into their culture, with some of the most popular casino and gambling games having originated from these territories. 

Having all this in mind...

... anyone interested in the matter will need to look into each country separately for a clear understanding of their specific policies. Things may get a bit more complex in this case, considering that the nation in question is none other than China. Ever since political issues arose in the aftermath of World War II, Taiwan and China have separated into two countries, each intended to govern their people in a different direction.

While political tensions...

... may cause disagreement, it seems that there may be some overlap between the policies of the two governments on other matters. Gambling, in particular, is a largely debatable topic, and one that is yet to be resolved on the territory of Taiwan. And with administrative influence and surveillance coming its way from China, there seems to be all the less room for change and progress.

Legal Online Gambling in Taiwan

What remained after mainland China declared itself as the People’s Republic of China eventually became known as a separate republic, commonly identified as Taiwan. The capital of Bangkok is the seat of many key offices and bodies in the country, retaining some sense of centralization in an otherwise dispersed country. After all, it consists of separate islands, Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu, each of which have some form of autonomy and authority over regulative in their regions. 

Still, harsh restrictions...

... can be noted in specific segments of social and political life, gambling entertainment included. More precisely, while other countries seem to be going forward and benefitting from these practices one way or another, this nation has rather strict and constrained attitudes towards them. 

Legal gambling had been restricted...

... to a few specific forms for over two decades now, long before online gambling actually came to the scene. In fact, the Taiwan Criminal Code has openly proclaimed that any gambling ‘in a public place or a place open to the public’ is prohibited since the adoption of these articles, back in 1994. Still, without any updates or amendments being made to the Code after the introduction of the online gambling format, the loophole in Taiwanese law will remain until further notice.

So far, legal gambling practices in the country are the ones provided by the Public Welfare Lottery, Taiwan Sports Lottery and the Uniform Invoice Lottery. This last one is the only operated by businesses, providing gambling services to their clients without the need for them to buy lottery tickets for the bets. Alternatively, the Public Welfare Lottery features number-draw games, while the Taiwan Sports Lottery is in charge of accepting sports bets. Variety is rather limited due to the specific setup, especially in the case of sportsbetting, with only a limited range of wager options available on MLB, NBA and major soccer leagues so far. While these operators persist since the age of retail gambling, interactive counterparts of their services can also be provided if they choose to do so. 

In an attempt to extend the range of legally available gambling content...

... across Taiwanese territories, regulators put forward the Casino Management Act. It predicted the opening of casinos and gambling services on major tourist attractions – the islands of Matsu, Pengu and Kinmen. However, such a move required a majority vote from the residents of said locations via a referendum – a feat that did not pass in two of the three regulatory jurisdictions. In fact, 81% of Pengu residents and 90% of Kinmen locals voted against casinos on their territories. While Matsu residents did support the endeavour, these are far from the projected and optimal circumstances.

As things stand...

... Taiwan does not yet have a benevolent climate for further development of the industry. What is more, with China practically breathing down its neck regarding the potential expansion, the government is all the more constricted in its moves. According to the latest propositions, it will most likely move forward with an amendment to the Criminal Code, article 266, criminalizing online gambling along with the land-based variants by adding “criminal liability for gambling with use of telecommunications equipment, electronic communications, the internet or other similar means.” 

Taiwan Online Casinos

With all the regulations and restrictions in place, the people of Taiwan still largely engage in online gambling through a range of offshore sites. These operators service the market due to the lack of proper regulations to prevent them, and the same reason has players coming back to the platforms. Attempts at prosecuting Taiwan residents for these actions have fallen short due to the current wording of the law that does not cover online casinos under public venues. Consequently, offshore online operators continue offering their services and reaping massive the massive revenue potential of the Taiwan online casino player pool.

Currently, this legal loophole...

... is working great for both parties, but there are still some regulatory considerations to bear in mind. Since Taiwan players are not protected by a national authority, they need to pay special attention to the licenses these online casinos hold. Luckily, the online casinos available for this player pool include some of the top providers of such content and services. 

Therefore, players are advised to look for those holding licenses from reputable jurisdictions such as Gibraltar, Curacao and Malta, among others, for their compliance to industry standards and requirements.

Games at Taiwan Online Casinos

Despite the fact that they only have offshore online casinos to show for their interactive gambling action, there is still more than plenty of it available. The Taiwan player pool can choose from all the regular and latest content selection on online casinos, packing titles from some of the top software providers in the industry. More specifically, the game collection at these casino sites consists of:

• Slots;
• Baccarat
• Blackjack;
• Roulette
• Sic Bo;
• Live Dealer table games;
• Keno
• Mahjong.

Mobile Betting

With all that has been said on the offshore operators servicing Taiwan online casino players so far, it is only expected that they would keep up with this innovation in the industry as well. Most of these offer dedicated downloadable software for the top smartphone operating systems – Android and iPhone. Tablets and iPads are included with respective versions that fit their screen size and properties as well. Some casinos alternately choose to go with the one-solution-for-all approach, using the HTML5 format to make the instant-play casino website fittingly accessible on all devices.

Taiwan Online Casino Banking & Payment Methods

This is one aspect of the current online gambling market in Taiwan that does face some issues due to the current legislation. After all, with the illegal status of gambling as it is, banking and payment processing services are naturally prohibited from processing payments towards such effect. 

Still, this isn’t the same across all options, but does somewhat limit the range of choices available for the casino player pool. Following are some of the most widely used and suitable banking methods for this online gambling market:

• Direct bank transfer
• EntroPay;
• Skrill;
• Other e-wallets.

Evidently so, e-wallets are the general choice for online casino deposits and withdrawals, with the occasional operator holding an account at a national bank and providing the option of direct transfer as well. This raises another concern of its own – currency options; the top international e-wallet services include Taiwan New Dollar as an available option, but the same cannot be said of the respective casinos. Therefore, players will additionally need to be prepared for currency exchange charges before depositing their bankroll at the chosen online casino.

FAQs

1. Are online poker sites available for Taiwan players aside from casino?

- Poker play is also available through offshore operators, both at the specific casinos, and at dedicated offshore poker rooms. 

2. Taiwan punters have a national sportsbetting operator. Are there any offshore sportsbetting platforms servicing the market?

- Yes, despite the presence of a legal sportsbetting operator, offshore platforms continue getting traffic from this player pool. The main reason for this is the lack of sports diversity, as well as the largely restrictive and less generous odds offered at the sports lottery as opposed to the ones at these sportsbetting platforms.

3. What is the general opinion regarding gambling in Taiwan?

- Generally speaking, the practice of gambling is considered a social malice, hurting people and their families.

4. How come exceptions are made for the specific lottery and betting platforms?

- The monopoly positions of the Taiwan Sports Lottery and the Public Welfare Lottery have gained them unique status. Most of the earnings from their bets – 90% and 50% of profits from the organizations respectively – are distributed to fund socially benevolent sectors. The profits from the sports bets go to sport development initiatives, while the latter are used for health insurance, welfare and pensions funding.

5. Do Taiwan online casino players get the regular bonuses and promos found elsewhere?

- Yes, these casinos still offer the standard array of online casino bonuses and promos – No Deposit and Deposit-match bonuses, Welcome bonus offers, Loyalty Rewards programs and the likes.

6. Can I play online casino games using TN$?

- As mentioned above, many casinos are adjusting their services to fit the specific needs of all player pools they cater to, and Taiwan sites are no exception. Therefore, players should be able to play in their local currency should they bother to look through their options.

7. Are the terms for commercial casino gambling beneficial?

- With the regulative for commercial casino operators on the separate islands mentioned earlier still hanging in the Taiwan air, there is much debate whether the terms were part of the failure. As it is known, companies would be able to hold 30-year licenses to operate online casinos in Kinmen, Penghu and Matsu. They were supposed to pay 16% tax on gross gaming revenues, as well as a 0.5% GGR public benefit levy going to the problem gambling fund. Local and government taxes were also prescribed in the bill, ranging from 7% to 9%, as well as a corporation tax of 17%.

8. Are there any taxes on online casino winnings that players need to pay?

- Due to the lack of any proper regulation that would primarily authorize such activities, there is no tax policy imposed on the winnings accumulated from gambling sessions online.

9. Will I need to learn English or some other foreign language to play at these sites?

- This will depend on the online casino site of your choosing, but most international operators have considered this matter and already added respective language versions for the Taiwan player pool. Currently, players can find Chinese Simplified and Traditional along with English and other language versions at their respective sites.

10. What fines are online casino players from Taiwan looking at if the new legislation is passed?

- If the latest proposed amendments pass each stage of the legal process and are enacted as law, players would be looking at fines up to $1,600 for participating in real money gambling activities.