Rockstar Games’ GTA Online is considered to be one of the most played online multiplayer games currently in the market. However, GTA Online’s Diamond Casino & Resort update is banned by over 50 different countries due to gambling laws. The reason for this is GTA Online’s Diamond Casino & Resort’s heavy use of microtransactions in the game.
For quite a while now, there’s an ongoing debate/war in the gaming industry regarding the use of loot boxes, microtransactions, and pay to win mechanics in games. Basically what it means is that game developers will allow players to buy certain items in-game using the real-world currency. This is something Rockstar Games is also doing with GTA Online’s Diamond Casino & Resort where players can use real-life money to buy chips and Shark Cards to get ahead in-game. Or they can take the option of participating in a long gameplay grind to earn money in GTA Online’s Diamond Casino & Resort.
This is something that more and more game developers are adopting in their games with the “games as a service” model. Microtransactions, loot boxes, and pay to win mechanics in games are hated by the game community and even the government is making bills to ban game developers from using such mechanics in games.
Gamers affected by the ban can still go and access the casino but will receive a message in-game informing them that they cannot participate in any form of gambling upon entering the casino. Here’s the full list of countries where GTA Online’s Diamond Casino & Resort ‘gambling’ is banned right now:
- Afghanistan
- Algeria
- American Samoa
- Argentina
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bhutan
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Belarus
- Brunei
- Cambodia
- Cayman Islands
- China
- Cuba
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Ecuador
- Greece
- Iceland
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Maldives
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Malta
- Malaysia
- North Korea
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Tuvalu
- United Arab Emirates
- Vietnam
- Venezuela
If you’re in one of the countries lucky enough to escape the GTA Online’s Diamond Casino & Resort ban, you can play it on PS4, Xbox One & PC.
