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Taiwan Casinos

Online casinos in Taiwan operate in a prohibitive legal environment, and this guide covers the current legal status, the limited legal betting that exists, and what residents should know.

Are online casinos legal in Taiwan?

Online casinos are not legal in Taiwan. The Criminal Code prohibits gambling, and the only legal betting products are the state-backed Sports Lottery and the Public Welfare Lottery. No online casino licences are issued, and while a 2009 law opened the door to casinos on Taiwan’s outlying islands subject to local referendums, no casino has ever actually opened, so there is no regulated casino industry in practice.

Is online gambling legal in Taiwan?

No. Online casino play is prohibited in Taiwan. The only legal betting is the state Sports Lottery and the Public Welfare Lottery, and no online casino licences exist.

The legal position in Taiwan

Taiwan’s Criminal Code treats gambling as an offence, and enforcement covers both operators and, in principle, players who gamble unlawfully. The two sanctioned exceptions are the Sports Lottery and the Public Welfare Lottery, both government-authorised and run for public benefit. Everything else, including casino games online, sits outside the law. A 2009 amendment allowed offshore islands to hold referendums on hosting casinos, but proposals have repeatedly failed or stalled, so no operating casino exists.

What residents should know

With no licensing route for online casinos, any such site targeting Taiwanese players is offshore and unregulated locally. Points to keep in mind:

  • Offshore casino sites offer no Taiwanese consumer protection and no local recourse.
  • Only the two state lotteries are legally sanctioned betting products.
  • Support for gambling-related harm is available through BeGambleAware.

For a nearby regulated land-based contrast, see our overview of online casinos in Macau.

Are there any casinos in Taiwan?

No operating casinos exist in Taiwan. A 2009 law allowed outlying islands to approve casinos by referendum, but every serious proposal has failed or stalled, so no casino has opened. Casino gambling remains effectively unavailable and unlicensed.

What gambling is legal in Taiwan?

Only the government-authorised Sports Lottery and Public Welfare Lottery are legal. All other gambling, including online casino play, is prohibited under the Criminal Code, and no online casino operator holds a Taiwanese licence.

Illustrated portrait of Fred Anderson, co-owner of CasinoDaddy

The Author

Illustrated portrait of Fred Anderson, co-owner of CasinoDaddy

The Author

Fred Anderson

Site Admin

Fred Anderson has worked in the gambling industry since 2014 and is a co-owner of CasinoDaddy. He tests the casinos on this site himself: opening the account, making a real deposit, playing, requesting a withdrawal and timing how long the money actually takes to arrive. He reads the bonus terms rather than the headline offer, checks what a licence is worth in practice, and sets the rating that appears on each review. He has written casino reviews for CasinoDaddy since 2021, and also builds and maintains the site's main pages and its industry news coverage.