Top-rated Online gambling sites in Taiwan

The history of gambling in Taiwan can be traced back to the 17th century during the Qing Dynasty era. At the time, there were over 100 popular games, with Flower Match Game being the most popular one.

Unfortunately, these games had a negative impact on the population. Historians say that Flow Match was very popular to the point of social disruption. The game hooked many locals to a point where the socio-economic fabric started to disintegrate.

For example, in 1896, problem gambling was so vast that compulsive gamblers started engaging in criminal activity to fund their dirty habits. Worse enough, some men even sold their daughters to brothels to get money to gamble or pay their gambling debts.

To curb the growing vice, Taiwanese authorities embarked on a mission to restrict gambling in 1897, but all the efforts were in vain. Under Japanese colonial rule, Japanese gangs were behind the rising cases of illegal gambling.

In 1935, Taiwan introduced the Criminal Code of the Republic of China that banned all forms of public gambling.

The law prohibits using all currency forms in gambling, but players can use non-currency items such as matchsticks. Later on, in 1951, the Uniform Invoice Lottery was established. It introduced a national lottery. But then, casino-style games remained illegal.

Gambling nowadays in Taiwan

Currently (as of 2021), Taiwan's legislature has been debating many proposals with a mission to legalize casino-style gambling.

Besides the legislature's debates, several other proposals arose after the legislature amended the Offshore Islands Development Act. The amendments paved the way for the legalization of gambling in Taiwan's offshore islands.

For example, the Penghu Islands proposal led to a referendum to develop a local casino, but the residents rejected the proposal.

There's also the 2012 Matsu Islands proposal. Residents voted for the construction of a casino. Other proposals included the 2013 New Taipei City proposal and the Keelung Islet proposal aimed at establishing casinos.

However, there are many strong opponents of the legalization of gambling. A good example is Pan Han-Shen's publication in Taiwan Times.

In the article, the central executive committee member and candidate argue that building the casinos in the offshore islands would facilitate illegal activity, including corruption and money laundering.

At the time of writing, online casinos are not legal in Taiwan. The government prohibits all forms of online gambling, be it casino gambling or sports betting.

The government has been keen on enforcing the existing gambling laws by cracking down on illegal gambling operators.

For instance, in 2003, the Criminal Investigation Bureau said it was pursuing the prosecution of 300 Taiwanese players who were gambling on a UK site known as Sportingbet. However, Sportingbet maintained that it had not breached any Taiwanese gambling laws.

Also, in a report published by the Channel News Asia, 32 people, including Taiwanese billionaire Chuang Chou-wen were charged with engaging in organized crime and tax evasion.

The billionaire and his 31 employees operating under Xinliwang International Holdings Company Ltd were behind an online gambling platform known as GPK Bet. The platform was running over 532 gambling sites and 54 system providers.

Despite all the crackdowns, Taiwanese gamblers can still access online games offered by international online casinos.

While there are systems to block Taiwanese players from accessing international betting sites, players have several ways of bypassing these restrictions. For example, the use of VPNs, proxies, and antidetect browsers allow players to access offshore online casinos.

Taiwan is among the fastest-growing economies. One of the best things about Taiwan is its fast and efficient online payment systems.

Casinos that accept Taiwanese players allow players to deposit and withdraw their funds via a wide range of payment methods ranging from credit cards and online vouchers to eWallets.

In Taiwan, payment cards are the most preferred, accounting for over 53.3% of all eCommerce purchases in 2020. Players in Taiwan can deposit and withdraw winnings using online payment solutions, including Visa, MasterCard, Skrill, Line Pay, and Apple Pay.

When it comes to currencies, there are two options. Players can opt to gamble using fiat money currencies.

Here, the best option is the New Taiwan dollar. Besides the local currency, casinos that accept Taiwanese players also support the US dollar, euro, Chinese yuan, British pound, etc.

In addition to the fiat money currencies, there are dozens of online casinos that accept cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin, to mention a few.

Regarding the charges and turnaround, it all depends on the casino and the payment method. Most deposit transactions take minutes, while withdrawals are dictated by the casinos' pending period.