- July 08, 2024
Analysis of the China iGaming Market
天成包网在2024年不断的扩张海外包网的同时,也持续的关注着中国博彩市场变化。就目前的中国环境来讲,相较于海外博彩市场,中国博彩市场的委缩是明显能感觉到,天成包网小编预估今年到明年,中国博彩市还是会处于不利环境中。为何小编会这么说呢?今天我们就来客观的分析一下,当下的中国博彩市场的情况。
Current status of China's iGaming market
Before 2016, China's iGaming market was thriving, and almost everyone who entered the industry could make money. At that time, Baidu rankings, SEO, and on-site ads could be freely posted. The restrictions on adult content websites were not as strict, including the emergence of various multimedia platforms like Qvod and Xfplay, which were favorites for late-night viewing. Therefore, before 2016, China's internet was mainly entertainment-focused.
For the iGaming industry in China at that time, the biggest issue was not marketing and promotion, but rather the technical setup and personnel of the gambling platforms. Although there were turnkey solutions available, many still opted to build their own gambling platforms. Generally speaking, the cost of acquiring customers for these platforms was very low, with numerous channels available. Simultaneously, there was a proliferation of apps throughout China, with streets filled with activities offering incentives for downloading and installing various apps. At that time, gambling platforms also packaged themselves as apps for users to download. Some elderly individuals would install these apps on their phones in exchange for a few bottles of water or a bottle of cooking oil. It can be said that during that period, China's gambling industry operated in a semi-vacuum with minimal regulation. I believe those early pioneers in the industry must have made a fortune.
However, by the end of 2016, Chinese authorities began gradually strengthening repatriation measures. This became especially frequent after the onset of the pandemic. In order to manage the pandemic, China rigorously repatriated overseas workers and frequently enforced repatriation measures. If individuals did not cooperate, authorities even called their homes to demand contact information and work permits. These actions were just part of personnel control; the main focus was on bank card management. On December 1, 2016, a bank account management mechanism was introduced. Whether for businesses or individuals, strict controls were imposed, limiting daily transfers to no more than CNY5,000. Accounts could be temporarily suspended immediately if there were frequent transactions, a single transaction exceeded CNY50,000, or if an account remained inactive for an extended period. Consequently, now it's difficult for money to enter or leave. Against the backdrop of big data in the internet era, identifying these issues has become much easier. However, this does not mean that China's online gambling market has cooled down entirely. New alternative methods and technological means continue to emerge, attempting to break through strict regulatory environments and find viable ways to survive.
Current Chinese Economic Situation
Let's talk about the three years of the epidemic first. The three years of the epidemic have had a great impact on China's economy. "Involution" is a new term created during this period. Everyone can only stay at home. This kind of natural disaster has made gambling popular. It is against the current. The main reason is that staying at home all of a sudden has given some people more time to play with their mobile phones. Chinese people have the habit of saving, so iGaming has also received a wave of dividends. But from the perspective of China's economy, it is not so optimistic.
The first thing that I feel the most is offline stores, such as spas, clothing, entertainment venues, and major shopping malls. Of course, I am not referring to restaurants and food markets (food markets and takeaways also made a lot of money). Many small businesses are facing a survival crisis. Suspension of wages and closure of business are common.
Of course, the manufacturing industry has also benefited from the epidemic, especially exports. E-commerce and live streaming have also become popular in Southeast Asia. The epidemic has changed people's consumption habits.Next, at the end of 2023, the real estate industry exploded. Evergrande fell from the altar, Country Garden retreated across the board, withdrew from Sydney and the UK, and sold off high-quality assets at home and abroad. In April, Vanke also fell into trouble, and the market was sluggish, forcing the company to start surviving.
Next, at the end of 2023, the real estate industry exploded. Evergrande fell from the altar, Country Garden retreated across the board, withdrew from Sydney and the UK, and sold off high-quality assets at home and abroad. In April, Vanke also fell into trouble, and the market was sluggish, forcing the company to start surviving.
(According to Vanke's 2023 annual report released on March 28, 2024, last year's net profit was CNY12.16 billion, down CNY10.53 billion from CNY22.69 billion in 2022, a decrease of 46.4%. With profits drastically reduced, Vanke Group's management has collectively cut salaries.)
With the collapse of the real estate market, many cities have relaxed their housing purchase policies, and even Beijing has lowered mortgage rates and down payment ratios; but the decline in new residential prices widened in May this year, and the rescue measures may not be enough to drive a rebound in housing prices. *(Note: Beijing is the last first-tier city in China to relax its housing purchase policy)* According to real estate data agency CRIC, in the first quarter of 2024, the top 100 real estate companies achieved a cumulative sales amount of CNY779.24 billion, a sharp decline of 47.5% year-on-year. After the real estate market was shaken, the stock market plummeted at the beginning of this year, and in the end, it was the national team that took action.
As early as 2023, ten large investment banks and securities firms including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and UBS jointly believed that construction activities in China's real estate industry would continue to be in a state of recession in the coming year. Some financial media said that China's real estate industry will be in a state of contraction for three consecutive years.
China's real estate industry chain covers too much scope. China's manufacturing activity shrank for the second consecutive month, with China's manufacturing PMI at 49.5 in June, in the contraction zone for the second consecutive month. Despite the government's new property market support measures, China's real estate industry has not shown any signs of reversing its long-term downturn.
At the same time, China's foreign direct investment has further declined; in January-May this year, China attracted CNY 412.51 billion in foreign direct investment, with a year-on-year decline of 28.2%. This is the 12th consecutive month of decline in China. It was once circulated on the Internet that China might enter another "lost 30 years" like the Japanese economy. But there is good news. In May, China's youth unemployment rate fell to 14.2%, the lowest level since the National Bureau of Statistics of China revised the calculation method of this indicator at the beginning of the year. It also shows that the labor market has begun to warm up. The recovery of labor also shows that the manufacturing and service industries are slowly expanding, but this recovery takes time and process, and the economy may remain in a low-growth era. Therefore, the editor boldly estimates that until this time next year, the domestic economy will still be in the process of warming up.
China's Gambling Atmosphere
Since the beginning of the epidemic, the Chinese authorities have been vigorously promoting news related to gambling and telecommunications fraud. These news not only appear frequently in major media but are also ubiquitous on social platforms. Even if you don't pay attention to this news, as long as you scroll a little longer, you will see various anti-fraud and anti-gambling videos or news content. This situation is also a helpless move. After all, the political environment is like this, and major media also have the task of cooperating to promote this news.
Many people are skeptical about iGaming and think it is a scam. This view discourages many potential players. However, this does not mean that there are no players. For example, during this year's European Cup, gambling activities were still booming. Therefore, it cannot be said that there are no gambling players in China. China has a population of 1.4 billion, of which 575 million live in urban areas, and the urban population reaches 900 million, accounting for 63.9% of the total population. The Internet penetration rate has also reached 77.5%, and the number of Internet users has reached 1.092 billion. With such a huge demographic dividend, there are always some people who seek excitement or want to make money through gambling. Moreover, the overall environment in China is currently in a state of involution, and the pressure of involution and economic downturn has caused some people to choose to take opportunities through gambling.
In the previous section, TC-Gaming's editor also mentioned the situation regarding repatriation. As of now in 2024, repatriation and document submission work has continued without interruption. For example, have you noticed fewer Chinese people in the Philippines this year? Many new gambling platforms now mostly opt for overseas markets. As for platforms operating in overseas gambling markets, their employees are mostly foreigners. This actually signals that it's not that money can't be made in the Chinese market, but rather that this channel has been tightly restricted. There are increasingly more details and considerations in the work, and the cost of Chinese employees remains high.
In contrast, many areas of the overseas gambling market are still blue oceans, and the staff costs are lower. With the white label iGaming service, as long as the staff is in place, the platform construction is no longer a problem. To put it bluntly, as long as you pay the money, the technical issues can be handed over to professionals to manage, and all you need to do is focus on the marketing and promotion of the overseas gambling platform. In this way, the operation and profitability of the platform can be guaranteed, and it can also better adapt to market demand and seize more opportunities.
Summary
In this environment, many gambling platforms have chosen to abandon the Chinese gambling market, and even normal domestic small businesses and individual operators are facing a survival crisis. The second is the real estate industry. Although the government has taken certain regulatory measures, the overall market is still sluggish.
Difficulties of the current Chinese gambling market
- Policy uncertainty: Since the end of 2016, the Chinese government has been stepping up its crackdown on the gambling industry. The entry and exit of Chinese people, especially those entering and leaving Southeast Asia, are strictly controlled. Many people have their passports and tickets cut or are persuaded to return to the airport. However, sometimes there are not too many obstacles to entry and exit in some regions.
- Influence of public opinion environment: The negative publicity of the government and media on gambling and online fraud has made the public more cautious about the gambling industry. The constant videos and news from major mainstream media have also scared off many potential players, making it more difficult to acquire new players.
- Limited capital flow: The capital flow management policy of bank cards has made gambling platforms face huge challenges in terms of capital inflow and outflow, affecting normal operations and the normal inflow and outflow of players' funds. (According to a friend of TC-Gaming, some illegal commissions for killing the market have reached 40%)
- Uncertainty in the economic environment: The epidemic and fluctuations in the real estate market have had a negative impact on the overall economy, resulting in the financial capabilities of many potential players being limited.
- Changes in the Internet environment: As regulations tighten, many once-effective online promotion channels have become difficult to use, and the cost of acquiring new users has increased significantly.
- Fierce competition: Although the Chinese gambling market is huge, the competition is also extremely fierce. After all, we have been in the Chinese market for such a long time. It is not an easy task to compete with major gambling platforms for limited user resources in limited publicity channels. How to stand out in the fierce competition is a major test that gambling platforms have to face in the Chinese gambling market.
Suggestions on the future focus of the current Chinese gambling market
China's gambling market will continue to face uncertainty in the future. Gambling practitioners need to pay close attention to policy trends. Only by exploring new technical means and development paths can they gain a foothold in the competition in China's gambling market.
- Technological progress and innovation: With the continuous advancement of science and technology, new technical means and innovative models may bring new vitality to China's gambling industry. The biggest reason for China's gambling market now is that there are too many restrictions on capital investment. To put it bluntly, money can neither come in nor out. But if there is a new way or technology to solve a problem, then China's gambling industry will have new opportunities.
- Potential market size: China has a huge population base and Internet user groups. Even in such an environment, there are still many users who are interested in gambling. If the right promotional and marketing methods are found, it is still possible to attract a large number of players.
- Overseas market expansion: Those gambling platforms with international vision and resources, can consider shifting the focus of the gambling industry to overseas markets. By quickly building a platform through package networks, they can quickly enter the overseas gambling market and reduce risks.
- Changes in policies and regulations: Continue to pay attention to changes in the Chinese government’s policies and regulations on the gambling industry. Perhaps the policy will change again in 1-2 years.
In summary, although there are many unfavorable factors in the Chinese gambling market, that pose severe challenges to the survival of iGaming, it is not hopeless. If you have suitable marketing channels and can avoid or reduce bank card risk control through innovative technologies or methods, iGaming still has the opportunity to find its own development path in this ever-changing Chinese gambling market. However, as a forward-looking gambling platform operator, it is recommended to consider the overseas gambling market. After all, the prospects and market size of the overseas gambling market are not bad.
TC-Gaming has been in business for 17 years since its establishment. It is considered an old-fashioned white label iGaming company. Our white label iGaming covers Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, China, Brazil, and Spain, and it has accumulated rich industry experience. We also have a professional 24-hour security and technical maintenance team to ensure the smooth operation of the platform. Our service is one-to-one, from platform architecture to site operation, seamlessly connecting your needs. In order to solve the differences in operation, culture, religion, etc. of gambling players in different countries in different overseas gambling markets, we have hired 18 local language experts and senior designers, from language translation to interface design, to ensure the localization and user-friendliness of the platform. By choosing TC-Gaming, you will have the best partner to open the overseas gambling market.
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