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Gambling and online casinos in Myanmar
Myanmar (formerly Burma) is a country with a controversial approach to gambling.
On the one hand, the current legislation prohibits the participation of citizens in any form of gambling. On the other hand, casinos for foreigners have been legalized in the country, and in recent years Myanmar has gradually turned into a regional center for shadow iGaming.
Growing tourism and proximity to China, Thailand and Laos have made Myanmar attractive to operators looking for "grey areas" for business.
Legislative framework
Gambling in Myanmar is governed by two main laws:1. The Gambling Act of 1986 (based on the British Public Gambling Act 1867) - completely prohibits gambling among citizens.
2. The Gambling Law 2019 - allows casinos and gambling establishments in resort and border areas, but only for foreigners.
The main provisions of the 2019 law:- Myanmar citizens are prohibited from playing in casinos;
- operators are required to have a state license;
- casinos can only operate in tourist areas or at the border;
- taxes on gambling activities are transferred to the budget of the Ministry of Finance;
- online gambling is not included in the number of permitted activities and is considered illegal.
- casino - only for foreigners, online - prohibited.
Casino industry development
Until 2019, gambling in Myanmar existed only in the form of illegal halls and underground sweepstakes.
After legalization, the state allowed the construction of casinos in special economic zones (SEZ), aimed at tourists and investors from China and Thailand.
Myanmar's main play areas are:- Tachileik is a city on the border with Thailand, the largest center of gambling tourism;
- Myawaddy - popular with Thai players;
- Kokang (Kokang, Shan) - semi-legal casinos aimed at Chinese tourists;
- Chaung Tha and Ngapali are coastal areas where resort casino development is possible.
Among the most famous establishments are Allure Resort, Regent Casino, Galaxy Entertainment, Myanmar Crown.
Myanmar's gambling sector provided up to $150 million in revenue from foreign visitors in 2024, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
Online gambling
Online gambling is officially banned in Myanmar, but this ban is poorly implemented in practice.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, the online betting market has grown several times - especially in border areas where illegal IT centers serving Chinese iGaming platforms operate.
Current situation:- most online operators are registered in Kokanga, Myavatti and Loshio;
- sites operate under Curaçao, Philippine or Cambodian licenses;
- in the "special management" zones (especially in Shan and Karen) there are web offices of operators under the protection of local armed groups;
- a significant part of transactions takes place in cryptocurrency (USDT, Bitcoin, Tron).
The government has repeatedly promised to "clean up" the market, but the corruption and autonomy of some regions make this almost impossible.
Illegal market and offshore operators
According to Asia Gaming Brief (2024), about 70% of iGaming platforms in Southeast Asia have servers or offices in Myanmar.
Some of these companies serve players from China and Thailand, where gambling is also prohibited.
Myanmar has become a haven for Asian online operators exploiting lax regulation and political instability.
Large clusters of iGaming business are located in Loshio, Kokanga and Myavatti, where thousands of IT specialists work.
Controlling and combating illegal gambling
Control over gambling activities is formally carried out by:- Ministry of Home Affairs - licensing and inspections;
- Myanmar Police Force - crackdown on illegal clubs;
- Central Bank of Myanmar - control over cash flows and cryptocurrencies.
In practice, many casinos and online operators operate under the "protection" of local authorities or ethnic armed groups, which makes real control limited.
Economic importance
Casinos and gaming areas have become an important source of foreign exchange earnings:- tourism and casino hotels create jobs;
- part of taxes goes to local budgets;
- foreign investors are developing the infrastructure of border cities.
However, experts note that up to 60% of the turnover takes place in the "shadow" - without taxes and state control.
Social aspect
Domestically, attitudes toward gambling are ambivalent.
The majority of the Buddhist population considers gambling immoral and destructive.
However, in tourist areas, gambling is perceived as part of the leisure and income industry.
Among the social problems caused by shadow gambling:- rising debt and dependency among young people;
- criminalization of business;
- cases of trafficking in illegal online offices.
In 2023, the UN recorded more than 5,000 cases of exploitation of iGaming workers in Myanmar and neighboring countries.
Taxation
Prospects
The future of Myanmar's gambling sector depends on political stability and reform.
Possible directions of development:1. Regulation of online gambling by analogy with the Philippines (licenses for foreigners).
2. Creation of integrated resorts (IR) in border areas.
3. Increasing transparency in licensing and taxation.
4. Fighting illegal offshore iGaming centers.
Without political stabilization and the fight against corruption, however, reforms remain unlikely.
Myanmar is a country of contrasts, where the official ban is combined with the rapid growth of shadow gambling.
Casinos are legal only for foreigners, but in reality there are entire offshore online gambling networks aimed at players from China and Thailand.
The state earns revenue from legal casinos but loses billions of dollars in the unlicensed sector.
Online gambling remains illegal, but thrives in low-control zones, turning Myanmar into the "gray zone of Asia" - the territory between legalization and the underground.
