The sports betting market is rapidly expanding in the whole Asian continent. Technology has often been cited as a central reason for the high growth rates we’re seeing in different markets, but that often isn’t the only reason change is happening at such high speed. In different regions of Asia, the focus on sports betting takes on many different forms, but a changing attitude toward sports betting as a whole is undeniable.

It is easy to see why the market is so attractive to the bookmakers – the continent is home to over 4.6 billion people and the many different cultures inside the region are attracted to an increasing number of different sporting events. It has been suggested that Cambodia, China, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam are amongst the most active countries for sports betting, from the more common events such as football, but also heading into some smaller events. One area that has seen huge growth is cricket betting in India for example. There is also a change being seen in other regions, such as South Korea as the rapid growth of esports has led to betting in this field to. This also comes as these regions also continue to see a boom in the online casino market and none more so than China.

This growth isn’t without challenge, however. Whilst sports betting in Asia is growing, much of the growth isn’t regulated or monitored. In countries such as the Philippines where sports betting hadn’t been popularised early, there had been little regulation for the operators, which has seen many offshore companies register their site as a bit of a ‘safe haven’ from the rule and regulation elsewhere. This also provides a home for the sites that may look to take advantage of less experienced or less knowledgeable players and will certainly be something to overcome moving forward, as protections will need to be offered to ensure the space is as safe as possible.

There’s also the increasing ability to use these sites even in countries where sports betting is heavily regulated or even banned. The growing widespread use of VPN software has allowed those who have been previously been unable to bet, now have a safe entry into doing so. Not only has this become a very popular way for players to access any regional sites, but it also allows them to access and play on international sites. This is where they may be able to experience better pay-outs and cover a wider range of events.

As seen in other parts of the world too, sports betting may be one of the few activities that skirts under many of the different views around gambling as a whole. Where countries such as Japan have heavy regulations on gambling, much of the view is aimed toward casinos and other forms of ‘random’ gambling such as the lottery. In recent years they have seen a shift in view, as efforts to legalise the practice are being pushed forward, and with this alternative forms such as sports betting will continue to grow too.

The Asian market, or the Asia-Pacific in particular also continues to one of the biggest and most successful gambling markets in the world.  It now makes up nearly half of the market size in 2019 – the global consumer spend on games had been $152.1Bn, with $72.2bn or 48% being just in the Asia-Pacific region. China alone had matched the size of the US market where gambling and betting has only recently started to grow across the entire country.  It will be interesting to see the continued growth, as attitudes toward sports betting continue to change, but also to see the change in interest in certain titles. Especially as more non-traditional big titles such as those found in esports continue to grow, particularly in a part of the world where pushing newer technology is so highly valued.