TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Online gambling has grown rapidly over the years all over the world. Despite being banned in some countries, like Indonesia, there is no denying the international popularity of online gambling.

Some of the countries with the largest number of online gambling players have large populations and are equipped with extensive internet access. The following is a list of countries with the biggest current number of citizens involved in online gambling activities.

1. Brazil

Visiting traffic to online gambling sites in Brazil reached 91.1 million per month, accounting for 21.1 percent of the global market share. Brazil rules online gambling through Law No. 13,155 of 2015, sanctioning the virtual lottery known as Lotex.

2. Mexico

There are no specific laws governing online gambling in Mexico. However, electronic betting organizers must obtain permission from the Secretariat of Home Affairs (SEGOB). As a result, total visits to online gambling sites in Mexico reached 48.7 million per month, or around 11.3 percent of the global market share.

3. Nigeria

The number of Nigerian visitors to online betting sites reaches 42.5 million per month, equal to 9.8 percent of the global market share. Since the 1990s, the Nigerian government has legalized certain types of gambling as regulated in Chapter 22, Article 236 of its Penal Code for tax collection purposes.

4. United States

The total number of visits by United States residents to online gambling sites is approximately 31.2 million each month, which represents 6.9 percent of the entire global market share. Despite this, the US Department of Justice states that all forms of gambling on the Internet are legally prohibited. This statement was strengthened by the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006.

5. United Kingdom

The UK is one of the countries with the largest online gambling market in the world, with visitors reaching 29.9 million per month. According to information from the official government website, the country has a Gambling Commission and a Ministry of Gambling that were formed to regulate all types of betting.

6.Japan

Based on Article 186(2) of the Japanese Penal Code, a person who runs a gambling facility can be sentenced to prison for 3 months to 5 years. However, online gambling players in Japan continued to increase and reached 29.3 million per month in 2022.

7.Canada

The number of Canadian visitors to online gambling sites reached 19.1 million per month, equivalent to around 4.4 percent of the global market share.

8. Türkiye

Although gambling is prohibited in Turkey under the country's Criminal Code as it is considered a crime against community and morality, the online gambling market in Turkey records 16.7 million visits every month.

9. India

There is no explicit regulation that prohibits online gambling in India. As a result, the number of online lottery service users in the country is quite high, reaching 12.7 million each month.

10. Germany

Germany is among the countries with the largest online gambling market in the world. According to Similarweb, local residents’ visits to gambling sites amount to 10.8 million.

11. Indonesia

Head of the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), Ivan Yustiavandana said on Thursday, August 31, 2023, that online gambling transactions in Indonesia nearly touched Rp200 trillion. There are over 201,122 people involved in online gambling activities in Indonesia.

ANDIKA DWI | MUHAMMAD RAFI AZHARI

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