Macanese online casinos for Real Money

Macau was originally taken from the Chinese as a trading port back in 1557. It has long been a mecca for gambling. Having transferred its ownership back to China in 1999, Macau retains a high level of autonomy until 2049, although we’ve seen how things have panned out in neighbouring Hong Kong. In theory, the One Country, Two Systems policy should allow Macau to retain the right to make its own laws.

One of those laws is its gambling policy. As a matter of fact, that’s a bit disingenuous because there isn’t one. Gambling is legal but unregulated in the Chinese territory. As one of the richest cities in the world, much of Macau’s wealth comes from wealthy Japanese, Chinese, and American businessmen, and tourists who love to splash the cash in its brick-and-mortar casinos.

However, “the Monte Carlo of the Orient” also permits people who reside there to gamble online. There are no regulations in place in Macau, so there’s nothing that specifically states that internet gambling is either legal or illegal in the territory. Because of this, there are precious few online casinos that wouldn’t, in theory, accept players from Macau.

From 1931 until 2001, all gambling in Macau was controlled by a monopoly known as Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau or STDM. After this, Western-style games were introduced to players in Macau, and it began to open as more of a gambling resort for tourists, with Western, Las Vegas-style casinos invited in to obtain licenses.

The days of the monopoly are over, and today, all manner of casinos and casino games are found in Macau. Of course, STDM is still active (although it is no longer a monopoly). Instead, the leadership in Macau maintains regulations on how these casinos operate.

It is a different story when it comes to online gambling. This industry is unregulated, so any operator can, in theory, cater to players in Macau. Of course, with so many casinos to choose from (some of which run their own betting sites), residents in Macau aren’t overly bothered about joining many betting sites.

Almost all forms of gambling are deemed legal in Macau. You’ll find that the online casinos that cater to residents in Macau offer largely the same types of games that you’ll find in the Asian territory’s land-based gambling establishments, of which there are many.

Macau residents favour Asian-style games like baccarat, Sic Bo, and Andar Bahar. Teen Patti is popular, and so is Fan-Tan and a few others. Moreover, most of these games can be played as live dealer releases at online casinos, offering a touch more realism for those Macau citizens who can’t be bothered heading to a real brick-and-mortar establishment.

No major casino software providers come from Macau – at least, none that we could identify. Macau-friendly online casinos are home to thousands of games from many different developers, though. Most of these come from Northern Europe and include the likes of NetEnt, Microgaming, Pragmatic Play, Yggdrasil Gaming, BetSoft Gaming, Real Time Gaming, and other industry leaders.

As far as we can tell, all Macau-friendly online casinos are based offshore. This means that they aren’t going to be exclusively dedicated to players in Macau. We wouldn’t put much stock in these casinos accepting the Macau Pataca, either, as that currency has little real value outside the territory. Instead, most Macau online casinos operate in USD dollars and a handful of other Asian-centric currencies.

Players do not need to be based in Macau to play at these online casinos. They are open and accepting of all players, irrespective of their location (for the most part). However, there will be a KYC process that you need to clear, and not all casinos have Macau listed as a territory. This could cause problems. Fortunately, the unregulated nature of Macau’s online gambling industry means that if one site doesn’t tick all your boxes, you can readily sign up and play at another, with plenty to choose from.