Land-based casinos set to gain from Asia’s online gambling crackdown
Land-based casinos have struggled in recent years as the global rise of online gambling continued unabated. By 2022, brick-and-mortar gaming accounted for 55 percent of global casino revenues, while online platforms surged ahead with a 35 percent share, growing annually at over 12 percent. The data clearly indicates a visible decline in interest in land-based gaming experience.
In Asia, the trend is even stronger: the regional market is projected to generate nearly $24 billion (€22 billion) in 2024, rising to an estimated $56 billion (€51 billion) by 2033. Yet the boom in unlicensed digital gambling has prompted governments across Asia to intervene. Growing reports of addiction, scams, debt traps, and human trafficking have added urgency to coordinated crackdowns.
Ongoing crackdown in multiple nations
Hence, as a result, authorities across Asia stepped up efforts to crack down on illegal online gambling, creating ripples in both digital and land-based gaming sectors. In Malaysia, a sweeping enforcement drive launched in early 2025 resulted in the freezing of over 30 million Malaysian ringgit (approximately €6 million) in mule accounts linked to illegal betting activities. Under the nationwide campaign “Ops Dadu,” nearly 500 websites were blocked and hundreds of arrests made, marking one of the country’s most aggressive anti-gambling moves.
Thailand followed suit, with police seizing 2.8 million baht (around €71,000) during raids on the Tiger24 gambling network. Several high-profile suspects were arrested in Bangkok and Pattaya, with a focus on Chinese-operated digital casino rings.
Meanwhile, Indonesia reported a sharp fall in illegal online gambling transactions, dropping from 21 trillion rupiah (about €1.2 billion) to 4 trillion rupiah (around €230 million) in the third quarter of 2024. Cyber teams blocked more than 3.5 million gambling-related online links.
The Philippines is expected to entirely shut down its POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator) sector by mid-2024 amid allegations of fraud and human trafficking. In South Korea and Japan, authorities are reinforcing land-based casino models—particularly foreigner-only integrated resorts—while neighbouring countries tighten online restrictions.
A comeback of land-based experience?
Many experts now believe this might spark a comeback for land-based casinos. According to a report by Business World, Jarrod Leighton Tin, an equity research analyst at DragonFi Securities, mentioned that as access to online gambling becomes more limited, some players may start returning to physical casinos. This shift could boost foot traffic and gaming activity at integrated resorts, enabling them to reach a broader range of customers.
Jarrod also pointed out that the current regulatory crackdown is mainly focused on online gambling, and he does not expect stricter rules to be imposed on physical casinos soon, as such measures would significantly hurt tax revenues collected by bodies like the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).
Meanwhile, Juan Paolo Colet, Managing Director of China Bank Capital, warned that many consumers displaced by tighter online gambling regulations might turn to underground operators instead of land-based casinos. He advised gaming companies to invest in both digital and physical platforms to manage future regulatory challenges better.
Although land-based casinos have been overshadowed in recent years, Asia’s wave of e-gambling crackdowns may signal a strategic opportunity for physical venues — particularly integrated resorts in the Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, and Thailand. If sustained, this could mark the revival of physical casinos, which have long been thought to be fading in the era of digital dominance.
