July 1, 2024
If you’ve ever visited a casino or bookmaker or tried to access a betting site online, you’ll know that there are some strict rules, such as age, no matter what country you are in. While many of these rules are pretty standard, some countries do things a little differently and, in this article, we’ll take a peek at some of the world’s most peculiar gambling laws:
The UK is pretty relaxed when it comes to gambling and, in fact, this is such an integral part of the country’s fabric that even the Queen is known to have the occasional flutter on the horses. While Brits are free to pop down to their local casino or bookies, they are not, in fact, permitted to conduct any kind of gambling, including playing cards, within any of the UK’s 3667 public libraries. This rule was put into place as part of the Library Offenses Act of 1988 and still stands today.
Most countries do not allow people to access gambling sites in other countries – and there are often quite severe penalties for those who attempt to do so. New Zealand, however, takes a different approach as residents of New Zealand are able to access any site that they choose – with Denmark being a popular choice by many.
Gambling online is strictly prohibited in Russia and residents may only gamble in old-school land-based casinos. While this may seem fair, it’s less so when you consider that all of the land-based casinos in Russia are tightly under the control of its government.
Known for its glittering casinos and high rollers, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Monte Carlo locals spend many an evening in these establishments – but you’d be wrong. In Monte Carlo, residents are not permitted to visit casinos that exist only for visitors.
There are many fantastic things to do in Thailand – but playing cards is not one of them. In fact, it is illegal to own a pack of cards in this country – and being caught with a deck can land you in seriously hot water, including a possible jail term.
Craps is an extremely popular game in a huge number of countries around the world but you might find it tricky to find a game in Canada? Why? The use of dice when playing craps is off limits in Canada – which makes the game difficult, to say the least. Some innovative players have, however, found a way around this rule by using cards instead.
In South Korea, it is illegal to play slot machines on internet gambling sites – however, it is perfectly legal to do so in a land-based casino.
Despite being one of the most modern countries in the world, gambling rules can be somewhat archaic in parts of the USA – including complete bans in some states. For those states where residents are allowed to gamble, they need to be aware of some extremely strange rules, including:
Dominoes may seem like a pretty harmless game, however, not so in Alabama. In The Yellowhammer State, playing dominoes is strictly forbidden on Sundays – presumably so that it doesn’t distract people from going to church.
In this desert state, gambling is an incredibly popular pastime, however, residents of Globe are strictly forbidden from playing cards with a Native American in the street. Despite this bizarre law, you are free to go a round of Rummy with your Native American pal inside a home or gambling establishment. How or when this peculiar law was put in place is unknown.
Home to the infamous South Park, gambling is permitted in Colorado, however, proxy gambling is not. This means that you are forbidden from using electronic means or telecommunications to receive information about gambling. This includes a ban on phoning a friend to get a gambling tip. Although this rule does technically prohibit online gambling, this is widely popular in Colorado.
If you feel the urge to go gambling in just your lingerie, wearing a towel or naked, you’ll be out of luck in Oklahoma as it is illegal for women to gamble without being fully clothed. These rules don’t, weirdly, also apply to men. This odd law was put in place to prevent women from distracting men with their ‘charms’ in order to gain an advantage while gambling.
If you’re a Bingo fanatic, you may want to reconsider a move to North Caroline as, in this state, residents are banned from hosting more than two Bingo tournaments a week. There is a loophole, however, as you are actually allowed to attend as many tournaments as you like so residents tend to just take turns in hosting the games.
In most places, being a sore loser is considered to be a bad thing – but this is not the case in Kentucky. In fact, in the Bluegrass State, gamblers who lose can actually sue the winner in order to get their money back under the Loss Recovery Act, thereby minimizing the usual risk of loss which is part and parcel of gambling. So, it’s pretty much a win-win for gamblers in Kentucky!
Despite lending its name to the game, it is illegal to open or run a Texas Hold Em room in Texas – or any kind of poker for that matter. For this reason, online gambling is big news in Texas. To make this even stranger, people in Texas are in fact allowed to play Texas HoldEm online – just not in a land-based facility. Other cards and dice games are, however, legal for residents of Texas. Make sure to visit HotSlots CASINO NAMIZNE IGRE to check out their game offer and learn even more about gambling.
Even in the modern world, there are still some places where any kind of gambling is illegal and these include Alaska, The Netherlands, and Japan. While some authorities may turn a blind eye, others are much more strict – for example, you can find yourself in jail in Japan for playing a simple game of Bingo with a pal if money is involved. Banning gambling doesn’t, of course, stop it completely and, many residents of these countries have found a number of loopholes including hopping on a boat to the next nearest country and circumnavigating internet rules to log onto betting sites in another state or country.
While many of the laws listed in this article are extremely strange, many were put into place at a time when the world was very different – for example, the telecommunications law in Colorado. Because of this, although these laws are still in place, in many cases they are not regulated too strictly. It is, however, up to you to see if this is true – so, if you end up in trouble with the law in Oklahoma for visiting a casino wearing just a towel, don’t come crying to us!
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