Pakistan and UK Gambling Law Compared
09 September, 2016
Pakistan has a very strict rule about gambling. Gambling is illegal since 1947. It was a time when the country was partitioned. However, due to lack of policing and police corruption, sports betting remains widespread. In comparison to this the laws and attitude around gambling in the uk are very relaxed. Everything ranging from dog races to colossal online slot sites just like this one are allowed in the united kingdom.
Sports betting is extremely widespread on an international level too. Online especially. Tons of websites exist that give useful info like tips for sports bets. They tell you where is best to bet or where to get free bonuses from online casinos such as this great review portal.
But, even when someone is caught gambling in Pakistan, the punishments are too light. Bettors or illegal operators are hard to dissuade from gambling. Thousand Pakistani rupees and/or one year of prison is not so light. However, the enforcement of these punishments is inexistent.
Online Gambling in Pakistan
In addition, gambling activities on the Internet are addressed with the 1977 Gambling Prevention Act. Despite being written 40 years ago this act hasn't been amended and doesn't address current trends.
As a result, millions of Pakistanis access sports betting or online casino sites like this one. This is done using mobiles, tablets or computers and without fear of persecution.
This doesn't make online gambling unsafe. On the contrary, it's much better to gamble online than with illegal bookies. There you will find licensed and regulated gambling sites. As opposed, Pakistani bookies operate from hotel rooms illegally fixing odds.
The point is that online gambling is not addressed at all. This is why online gambling sites accept Pakistani bettors, which is not the case with French or US bettors for example.
France and USA have anti-gambling laws that prevent their citizens from online gambling. As a result, online gambling sites refuse to accept these bettors.
The Situation in the UK
There is no country where gambling is as regulated as in the UK. All kinds of gambling are legal and strictly regulated. You can find casinos and betting shops all over London and the UK. You will also find that all reputable and big online gambling sites are UK companies.
On top of that, the UK Gambling Commission is a reputable licensing body. No gambling site can serve UK bettors without a UK license.
This is a completely different from gambling in Pakistan. A country where illegal gambling is protected by the police and crime syndicates control the odds.
On top of that the gambling laws are outdated. They don't even recognize online gambling as existent activity. Only tote betting on horse racing is recognized as legal activity thanks to a religious interpretation of the activity.
The Future
Pakistan will be soon forced to regulate gambling in a different manner. The country is one of the fastest growing in the world. In 15 years it is expected to be the biggest Islamic country in the world. And, like it or not, gambling is part of the Pakistani culture. Repressing it won't make it go away. It just makes it worse.
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