Hong Kong online casinos for Real Money

Under the British (until 1997), gambling was largely legal in Hong Kong. With the transfer of Hong Kong in 1997, Hong Kong retained certain rights. The reality is that the Gambling Ordinance of 1997 (the official gambling law of Hong Kong) has been amended several times. However, there are still ways for Hong Kong residents to gamble, despite everything else that has changed.

In Hong Kong, it is legal to visit land-based casinos. Chief among the games offered at these brick-and-mortar casinos are roulette, blackjack and table poker options. When it comes to sports betting and lottery games, these, too, are legal, albeit run as a monopoly operated by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Where does this leave online gambling, then?

Despite the relative freedom residents of Hong Kong have when it comes to land-based gambling, the feeling isn’t mutual when it comes to internet betting. Online gambling is deemed illegal, not just unregulated. Officially, the Government of Hong Kong doesn’t block access to foreign casinos, also known as offshore betting sites. However, there have been instances (as recently as 2021) where some ISPs have begun blocking access to mainstream online casinos, undoubtedly on the orders of the Chinese Government.

The increasing level of control exerted by the Chinese Community Party on Hong Kong could easily see mainland China’s tough anti-gambling laws applied to residents of Hong Kong who want to gamble online. If you do insist on betting at online casinos, then we encourage you to do so in a safe manner, as we’ll explain below.

Land-based gambling has its own regulators and licensing bodies, the most notable of which is the Hong Kong Jockey Club. These operate as monopolies for the most part. When it comes to online gambling, there isn’t a bona fide regulator or official body in charge of licensing the industry. 

Offshore casinos tend to be operated by numerous brands, and they can be licensed out of anywhere. The most common licensing bodies catering to casinos offering their services to players in Hong Kong tend to be the Government of Curacao and PAGCOR, out of the Philippines. Some Panamanian-licensed casinos can also be found, but we do not recommend joining those as they tend to be unregulated and left to their own devices. This is never a good sign of fair play.

If you do insist on betting on online casino games in Hong Kong, we’d exercise caution. For instance, we’d suggest using a VPN (a virtual private network) to keep your location secret. Moreover, we’d encourage the use of cryptocurrency gameplay, so you can keep a touch of anonymity when gambling at these betting sites. You’ll find just the types of Hong Kong offshore casinos that fit the bill right here on this page.

Hong Kong residents aren’t that fussy when it comes to gambling online. While slots aren’t their most popular option, Hong Kong citizens aren’t opposed to playing slots at offshore online casinos. However, we’d say that table games, in particular, baccarat, blackjack, roulette and table poker, tend to gain the most favour with bettors. These can be played as live dealer or RNG (random number generator) casino games at most sites.

Hong Kong gamblers are also known for being keen sports betting and lottery game fans. These are also legal in the country, albeit not online. As a result, many of the top offshore casinos that tend to cater to players in Hong Kong also run separate betting sites that offer these options to gamblers. Any half-decent Hong Kong-facing offshore casino will naturally offer sports bets, then. 

As touched on above, Hong Kong casinos aren’t solely available to players in the autonomous territory. Most Hong Kong casinos cater to players in China, Japan, and other neighbouring Asian countries. Therefore, you don’t necessarily have to reside in Hong Kong to take advantage of these casino sites.

Some of these casinos may require you to complete a KYC process to verify your identity, but not all of them. Casinos that are crypto-based almost certainly won’t have this step, allowing Hong Kong bettors to expect a touch of anonymity when gambling. Again, we don’t necessarily want to encourage players in this region to gamble, given the potential penalties in store (and they get worse all the time). However, if you do fancy betting, our array of offshore Hong Kong casinos can present trusted, safe and fair options for you to choose from.