The Different Kinds Of Gambling Around The World

G ames of chance have been popular for as long as humans have been looking for ways to have fun, but it makes sense that they might be different depending on where a person is in the world. Here’s a look at just a few of the ways people wager their hard-earned money all around the world.

Japan

In Japan, gambling for cash is illegal. However, that doesn’t stop pachinko being one of Japan's biggest industries , making billions of pounds every year! Pachinko parlours around the country are huge buildings full of bright lights and loud noises, where businessmen go after work to spend money on these bizarre machines.

A bit like pinball, pachinko works by firing a large number of small balls into a machine. The balls cascade down through a vast quantity of pins, and bounce into certain locations at the bottom. If balls are captured, more balls may be released, and the aim is to collect as many balls as possible.

Captured balls are exchanged for prizes or tokens, and these are exchanged at a different location for money. Some parlours offer prices as low as half a yen (about a third of a British penny) per ball.

China

Many Western gambling games originated in China, such as the original idea for keno. Pai Gow is another famous game that is played around the world, and dates back to at least the Song dynasty (960 – 1279 CE).

In Pai Gow, games are played with a set of Chinese dominoes. The 32 tiles are randomised, bets are made, and then each player is given four tiles with which to make two hands. Players win money if their hands beat the dealer's, and there are 35,960 possible combinations of four tiles. These days, it is also often played as a card game, Pai Gow poker, at huge casinos all over the world.

UAE

Gambling is illegal in the United Arab Emirates, but the law has never stopped people before. Instead of gambling on games in casinos, people bet on sports. The law varies by region within the Emirates, but within Dubai sports betting is legal.

Natives consider horse and camel racing as traditional events, so betting on them is good old-fashioned fun. The most famous event in the UAE is the thoroughbred horse races taking place on Dubai World Cup Night. There's usually more than $20 million up for grabs, split between only six races.

UK

In the UK, big casinos like those in America aren’t really a thing to the same extent. Instead, many people play lottery draws every week, or else take part in individual games with their friends or family. Bingo is a very popular pastime as there are lots of dedicated bingo halls as well as games hosted in local community venues.

The prevalence of apps also means bingo is becoming popular across ages and demographics. Making money from gambling is never an exact science, but there are ways to improve your odds and have fun learning new ways to win at a national pastime.