Taiwan

Taiwan’s Criminal Code (Articles 266-268) prohibits gambling, providing places to gamble, and unauthorized lotteries; the only legal forms are the state Public Welfare Lottery (Ministry of Finance) and the Sports Lottery. The Sports Lottery (運動彩券) is issued under the Sports Lottery Issuance Act, with Taipei Fubon Bank as the authorized issuing institution operating it via Taiwan Sport Lottery Corp.; it offers fixed-odds and parlay betting on domestic and international sports and set a record NT$64.3bn in sales in 2024.

The competent authority was elevated from the Sports Administration (under the Ministry of Education) to a standalone Ministry of Sports, inaugurated 9 September 2025. There is no domestic horse racing and no legal horse-race betting. All private/offshore online betting is illegal: a December 2024 amendment (effective 14 January 2025) extended "public place" to member-only websites and electronic platforms, directly criminalizing online gamblers, and June 2025 amendments raised match-fixing penalties.

Authorities block offshore operators and prediction markets (2024-2025 Polymarket election-betting arrests; Polymarket blocked Dec 2024). Minimum purchase age for the sports lottery is 18.

Taiwan does not look favorably upon gambling. The Criminal Code of Taiwan bans all forms of gambling other than the government-controlled lotteries, which include the Sports Lottery. It is illegal for anyone to participate in betting, organize gambling and solicit people to participate in gambling. The law is very clear on this matter and provides for no wiggle room.

Of course, Taiwan is like many countries that attempt to prohibit real money gambling. The law says one thing but the people do another. It may be impossible to visit a brick-and-mortar casino in Taiwan, and offshore betting websites are no way around that: Article 266 of the Criminal Code reaches internet gambling too, as the laws section below sets out. On this page, I’ll explain the current situation on internet gaming and provide a brief overview of the laws that govern gambling in the country.

Taiwan Betting Sites

No private or offshore operator accepting customers from Taiwan is licensed there, and an operator’s location abroad is no protection for the person placing the bet: Article 266 of the Criminal Code applies to internet gambling, as the laws section below sets out.

There are other options as well. A number of international gambling websites accept Taiwan citizens as customers. Sticking with licensed gaming sites reduces the odds of losing your money, but Article 266 of the Criminal Code still applies to anyone in Taiwan who gambles over the internet.

Gambling Laws in Taiwan

The laws that apply to gambling apply to all forms, both in-person and online. Taiwanese authorities routinely arrest people for organizing and participating in gambling. Many news stories can be found just by running a quick internet search for “Taiwan gambling arrest." In July of 2014, Taiwanese law enforcement broke up an illicit gambling ring and arrested seven people, including four gamblers.

Criminal groups in Taiwan are keen on setting up underground websites where people can make accounts and place wagers on sports events. When the authorities inevitably catch on, they arrest those who operate Taiwanese betting sites and then track down their clients.

Offshore gaming sites are not outside the law either. The operator may sit in a country where online gambling is licensed and regulated, but Article 266 of the Criminal Code reaches the person in Taiwan, whatever the site’s home jurisdiction.

Taiwan’s gambling laws are quite simple compared to most countries; everything except the state lotteries, which include the Sports Lottery, is illegal in all fashions. Specifically, Article 266 of the Criminal Code makes it illegal to gamble in a public place or a place open to the public, and since a 2025 amendment it also covers gambling via telecommunication equipment, electronic communication or the internet; hosting facilities for the purpose of gambling falls under Article 268.

You would think the use of the word “public" would exclude online wagering but you’d be wrong. As previous case law shows, people have gotten in trouble for placing bets at illegal local Taiwanese betting websites, but the position is no longer confined to domestic sites, as the paragraph above sets out. It is in your best interest to avoid all forms of unlawful gambling, wherever the site is hosted.

Taiwan State Lottery

Taiwan operates a state lottery called the Uniform Invoice or Taiwan receipt lottery. Officially sanctioned lotteries and the Sports Lottery are the only forms of wagering in the country that are unambiguously legal. The Ministry of Finance operates the lottery and it has proven to be a popular public pastime complete with dramatic drawings on TV.

The Taiwan Lottery Co., Ltd. hosts a public welfare lottery under the authority of the Ministry of Finance.

Its primary purpose from the beginning has been to fund Taiwan’s welfare program. Citizens see this as a good thing as it gives them an opportunity to win big money while also putting cash into the system to help those who need assistance. It is a tradition for big winners to donate large sums of money to charity after winning large prizes.

The winner of NT$600 million donated NT$90 million to 45 different charities.

You can visit this page of the Taiwan lottery website to read more in English about the company’s mission statement and founding history.

The Taiwan Sports Lottery provides a limited form of legal sports betting for people in the country. The odds are notoriously poor but the system sees some success anyways due to the difficulty of finding and risk of using unlicensed bookies. The sports lottery suffered a number of setbacks during the mid-2000s and a major scandal in 2011 but it has since recovered nicely.

The 2014 World Cup was a big win for the Taiwan Sports Lottery. They generated NT$2.4 billion in sales related directly to the World Cup. Sports lottery ticket sales topped NT$10 billion in the first half of 2014 alone. If you like having some of your money go to charity, the sports lottery is a great way to go.