Bet365 is a globally renowned online gambling company headquartered in the UK, established in 2000, covering sports betting, live casinos, esports, and other areas. With advanced technology, rich event data, and a good user experience, Bet365 has quickly grown into one of the leading enterprises in the international gambling industry.
However, due to strict laws against all forms of gambling activities in mainland China, Bet365 is unable to obtain a legal operating license in the Chinese market. Despite this, the platform still enters the Chinese market in various ways and has accumulated a large number of users over a certain period.
Bet365's Early Penetration in Mainland China (Mid-2000s)
In the mid-2000s, as the internet became widespread, China's online gambling market began to quietly rise. Although the law strictly prohibits the establishment of gambling websites within the country, a large number of foreign gambling companies still attract Chinese users through the internet. During this stage, Bet365 entered the Chinese market mainly through the following methods:
Overseas server operations: Bet365's main servers are located overseas, and users can access the website to place bets in specific ways.
Promotional agent system: In the early days, Bet365 relied on overseas agents and intermediaries to promote in the Chinese market, accumulating users and providing support for "VPN" guides and payment methods.
Localization operations: Bet365 launched a Simplified Chinese interface and provided RMB payment and Chinese customer service to lower the usage barrier for Chinese users.
Rapid Development Period (2010s)
Entering the 2010s, China's sports betting market expanded rapidly with the development of the internet and mobile payments. Bet365 seized this trend and further expanded its influence in China through the following methods:
Optimized payment methods: Bet365 supports payment channels such as UnionPay and Alipay (although often blocked by regulators), and uses third-party payment intermediaries and cryptocurrency transactions to evade regulation.
Mobile layout: Bet365 launched a mobile website and APP to meet the mobile needs of Chinese users, improving user retention.
Sports event sponsorship: Although unable to promote in the Chinese mainland, Bet365 still enhances brand recognition among fans by sponsoring popular football events like the Premier League and La Liga.
Promotion strategy shift: As the Chinese government strengthens its crackdown on gambling agents, Bet365 gradually reduces the direct agent model and turns to "private domain traffic" promotion, such as WeChat groups and social media marketing.
Regulatory Pressure and Blocking (2018 to Present)
After 2018, the Chinese government intensified its crackdown on foreign gambling platforms, especially after the implementation of the Cybersecurity Law in 2019, Bet365's operations in China face more severe challenges:
Website blocking: The Chinese government continuously strengthens internet regulation, and Bet365's website is often blocked, requiring users to use tools like VPNs to access.
Limited payment channels: Channels such as UnionPay, Alipay, and WeChat Pay gradually block transactions related to foreign gambling, making it more difficult for users to deposit and withdraw funds.
Agent model collapse: As Chinese police crack down on gambling agents on a large scale, many of Bet365's Chinese agents have been arrested or voluntarily exited the market, significantly shrinking promotion channels.
User loss: Due to access difficulties, payment restrictions, and the government's intensified crackdown on individual cross-border gambling activities, Bet365's user growth in China is limited, with some users turning to Southeast Asia or local underground gambling.
Current Status and Future Development of Bet365
Currently, Bet365's operations in mainland China are significantly restricted. Although there are still users accessing through VPNs, regulatory pressure makes it difficult to return to its former glory. In the future, Bet365 may adopt the following strategies to cope:
Enhanced concealment: Using decentralized technology, dark web promotion, and cryptocurrency payments to reduce the risk of being detected by regulators.
Expanding the Southeast Asian market: As Chinese regulation becomes stricter, Bet365 may further increase its layout in countries like Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia to attract Chinese user groups.
Technological innovation: Bet365 may use blockchain, AI, and other new technologies to optimize payment and privacy protection to evade government regulation.
Conclusion
The development journey of Bet365 in mainland China, from early penetration and rapid expansion to the current strict blocking, reflects the Chinese government's upgraded regulation of cross-border gambling. Although Bet365 is still trying to find a survival space, its development prospects in the Chinese market remain uncertain under the increasingly tight policy environment.
