In the past decade or so, the Chinese economy has seen tremendous growth and expansion. Many international companies have hopped on board in China, attempting to capitalize on one of the fastest growing markets in the world. One of the industries that stand to gain the most ground by adding exposures in China is the online gaming and gambling industry. While current Chinese laws are unclear as to the true legality of online poker in the country, many international online gaming sites have been quick to spread access to this booming market.

China Poker Sites

China is not officially open to online poker sites, but current laws are unclear as to the punishments or reprimand that face players and providers of online gaming. Thus, there have been no recorded incidents of people actually being punished or fined for gambling online. Because of the fogginess of current Chinese law regarding online gambling, many online gaming sites have been reluctant to provide access to Chinese players, fearing future legal suits from the Chinese government. Several companies, however, have anticipated a future lift on the Chinese ban of online gaming and have already set up services for Chinese online poker players.

Several international online poker providers such as Bodog Entertainment have been quick to gain access into the Chinese online gambling market. In early 2008, Bodog began an aggressive ad campaign in China, directing Chinese online poker players to register and begin playing at Chinese version of their online poker site. Bodog executives anticipate fast growth in the Chinese market, and are optimistic about a potential formal lift on the online gaming ban in the country.

China Online Poker Deposit

While Chinese online poker players currently have the ability to register and play on chinese poker sites such as Bodog, actually funding their accounts may pose to be a problem for many players. Most Chinese banks and credit card companies will not allow direct deposits to online gaming Web sites. Users trying to use Chinese credit cards on the sites will usually receive an instant rejection from their credit card providers. For those credit cards that do allow online deposits to gambling sites, many of them will charge enormous fees for doing so, often treating the transaction as a cash advance rather than a standard purchase. One option that many players have attempted is to obtain credit cards that are based outside of China, which has resulted in some success in obtaining credit card approval for gaming transactions. In addition, some e-wallet services will allow accounts to be opened in China which will also provide a work-around to the credit card approval challenge.

Furthermore, many third-party online payment services such as the internationally popular Neteller payment service currently do not accept transfers from Chinese citizens. Until the Chinese law makes a clear stance on the legality of online gambling in the country, it is likely that Chinese online poker players will continue to have difficulties in depositing funds to their real money online poker accounts.