Gambling is regulated pretty well in almost every country where it is legal. What does that mean for the gamblers? Well, that they have to abide by some rules, for the most part, to be old enough to be able to gamble, meaning 18 or 21, depending on the country.

For the casinos and online casinos, that means a lot more. They need to abide by more rules than a gambler would, in order for them to even be able to obtain a license, let alone start their business.

What does that mean for video games? It means that they are also regulated, but not as strictly as one would guess. They are divided into categories, also called stages or classes, depending on the country and preferred term. Whether online or standard casino games, they are also classified, meaning that you cannot obtain a license for one kind of game and end up offering another, not regulated by the license. Here is more on the subject.

Lotteries

This is a really varying subject, as lotteries are often regulated by a country, even though organizations can make their own lotteries. They are a specific type in the United States, and do not fall under their Class I, II or III. Some states allow no gambling, like Utah or Hawaii, but others, like Pennsylvania, allow gambling. People even obtain bonus code like this PA Lottery Bonus Code 2019.

In other countries, like New Zealand, gambling is regulated by how much you might earn by betting or gambling, meaning that smaller lotteries could be class II, while larger ones would definitely be class III.

Casino Games

Casino games are also a specific kind, depending on the type of casino game. If they are table games like blackjack, poker or roulette, they fall under the Class III category in the United States. In countries which classify the games depending on how much you bet and earn, otherwise known as low and high stakes games, their class might vary. In the United States, Class III games also include slot machines, which are not regulated the same in every country. Slot machines can have any jackpot value, meaning that they can easily be classified differently in countries which have low/high stakes gambling laws.

What Does This Mean for Casinos?

Depending on the country, it means that a casino would have to choose their type of business operation, for example, the United States. For casinos in other countries, it means that they would have to regulate and limit the potential jackpots. It would also mean that online casinos would have to regulate their video games, especially if they require real money and are not just for entertainment purposes. 

Can the Government Directly Influence a Video Game?

Most likely, no. if gambling is forbidden in a country, then a developer might not be able to even release a video game if it has gambling elements, even if they are for entertainment purposes only and does not include actual money. On the other side of things, where gambling is legal, video games are fine, unless the betting requires real money. In that case, it falls under the gambling category and everything changes and becomes much more complicated.

The government can influence casino and video games which have gambling, but indirectly, more so than directly.