Poker by Country: Laws, Casinos and Where to Play

Country	Live Poker	Online Poker	Casino Age	In Short
Australia	Legal, Licensed	Illegal	18+	Live poker is legal at state-licensed casinos such as Crown Melbourne, The Star Sydney and The Star Gold Coast, and some non-gambling tournament formats run in pubs and clubs under state rules. Online poker may not be offered to Australians under the Interactive Gambling Act, although the law targets operators, not players.
Cambodia	Restricted	Illegal	-	Foreign passport holders can play poker in licensed casinos such as NagaWorld in Phnom Penh, but Cambodian citizens are banned from casino gambling. Online gambling is banned: no online licences have been issued since 2019, and from October 2026 casinos must also stop all online betting.
China	Restricted	Illegal	-	Gambling, including cash poker, is illegal in mainland China and there are no casinos. Visitors can play poker only at organised tournament events such as the China Poker Games, which run under a competition model with app registration and no on-site cash buy-ins; online poker for money is illegal.
Hong Kong	Illegal	Illegal	-	Hong Kong has no casinos and no licensed poker venue: outside the Hong Kong Jockey Club's authorised betting and private social games, gambling is unlawful, and poker clubs operate in a legal grey area that police have raided. Playing on online or overseas betting sites from Hong Kong can be prosecuted, so players who want legal casino poker go to Macau, about an hour away.
India	Restricted	Illegal	21+	Live poker for money is legal in India only where state law allows it: in practice at licensed casinos in Goa (offshore vessels and five-star hotels) and Sikkim, for players aged 21 and over. Real-money online poker has been banned nationwide since the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act took effect on 1 May 2026, whether poker is a game of skill or not; challenges to the Act are pending in the Supreme Court.
Indonesia	Illegal	Illegal	-	All gambling, including poker for money, is illegal in Indonesia and there are no casinos or licensed card rooms anywhere in the country. Players themselves can be jailed for up to 3 years under the new Criminal Code in force since 2 January 2026, online gambling sites are blocked by the Ministry of Communication and Digital, and in Aceh gambling is also punished by caning under sharia law.
Japan	Restricted	Illegal	20+	Gambling for money is a crime in Japan, so live poker is only legal as 'amusement poker' where no cash prizes are paid, and Japan's first casino (MGM Osaka) is not due to open until autumn 2030. Playing on any online casino or poker site from Japan is a crime for the player, even if the site is licensed abroad.
Laos	Restricted	Illegal	18+	Foreign passport holders can play poker in Laos only at licensed casinos in special economic zones, such as Alluxi Casino in the Golden Triangle SEZ in Bokeo; Lao citizens are barred. Online gambling is illegal, and Western governments advise against travel to the Golden Triangle SEZ.
Macau	Legal, Licensed	Illegal	21+	Live poker is legal in Macau's licensed casinos for anyone 21 or older, but only a couple of casinos run permanent poker rooms, so most visiting players come for festivals. There is no licensed online casino or online poker in Macau, and Macau's 2024 illegal gambling law makes taking part in illegal gambling an offence.
Malaysia	Restricted	Illegal	21+	Live poker is legal only inside Malaysia's single licensed casino, Resorts World Genting, for players aged 21 or over who are not Malaysian Muslims. Online gambling, including online poker, has no domestic licence and the government blocks gambling sites.
New Zealand	Legal, Licensed	Legal, Licensed	20+	Live poker is legal in New Zealand's licensed casinos for anyone 20 or older, with permanent poker rooms at SkyCity Auckland and Christchurch Casino. Online poker is covered by the new Online Casino Gambling Act 2026: up to 15 licensed brands are expected to go live in 2027, providers that have not applied for a licence must stop serving New Zealanders from 1 December 2026, and players are not committing an offence by playing.
Philippines	Legal, Licensed	Legal, Licensed	21+	Live poker is legal at PAGCOR-licensed casinos and card rooms for players aged 21 and over, but government officials and employees, police and military personnel and students may not play. Online gambling is legal for people in the Philippines only on PAGCOR-licensed domestic platforms; offshore (POGO) operations are banned by law and unlicensed sites are illegal.
Singapore	Legal, Licensed	Illegal	21+	Live poker is legal inside Singapore's two licensed casinos for anyone 21 or older (citizens and PRs pay an entry levy), and festivals also run on a cruise ship outside Singapore waters. Online poker is not licensed, and playing on any unlicensed gambling site from Singapore is an offence for the player.
South Korea	Restricted	Illegal	19+	Foreign visitors aged 19+ can play poker legally in South Korea's foreigner-only casinos (such as Paradise City Incheon and LES A Casino on Jeju) by showing a foreign passport. Korean residents may only gamble at Kangwon Land, and online gambling is illegal for everyone, with players prosecuted.
Sri Lanka	Legal, Licensed	Illegal	18+	Live poker is legal at Sri Lanka's licensed casinos in Colombo, including City of Dreams Sri Lanka; foreign visitors play with a passport, while Sri Lankan citizens pay a USD 100 entry levy. Online gambling now requires a digital licence under the Gambling Regulatory Authority Act 2025, but none had been issued as of August 2026 and unlicensed sites are being blocked.
Taiwan	Grey Area	Illegal	-	Taiwan has no casinos and gambling for money is a crime, but Texas Hold'em tournaments with a fixed entry fee and rank-based prizes have been ruled a skill competition by courts, so registered clubs such as CTP in Taipei run tournaments (not cash games). Online gambling, including on overseas sites, is a crime for the player.
Thailand	Illegal	Illegal	-	Poker played for money is illegal in Thailand: a short-lived 2025 opening for tourism tournaments was revoked on 22 October 2025, and there are no legal casinos. Online gambling is illegal, sites are blocked, and players as well as organisers can be prosecuted.
Vietnam	Restricted	Illegal	21+	Casinos are open to foreigners, while Vietnamese citizens may play only at three pilot casinos (including Corona Phu Quoc) if they are 21+ and pay an entry ticket. Hanoi poker clubs run as registered mind-sport clubs whose tournaments authorities have repeatedly scrutinised; playing for money outside licensed casinos, including online, is illegal gambling.

A summary of the law from official and reliable sources, not legal advice. Each country page lists its sources and the date we last checked them.