Grand Theft Auto Online’s new casino inaccessible in some countries

Grand Theft Auto V’s latest title update introduced the Diamond Casino & Resort to GTA Online, but many of the new features available have reportedly been blocked in various countries due to local gambling laws.

The update lets players spend in-game currency, which can be purchased through microtransactions (500,000 in-game GTA dollars cost £5.99/$9.99), to become a casino member and purchase chips to gamble on activities like poker and blackjack, although winning can’t be converted into real cash.

But users in many nations are reportedly unable to access the casino. Similar restrictions came into effect when Rockstar introduced poker tables to Red Dead Redemption Online in May.

A post on Rockstar’s support FAQ, which was created when Red Dead Online launched but was updated shortly before the introduction of GTA Online’s casino, vaguely explains why some users aren’t able to access the new content.

“Certain features are not available at all times or for all players,” it says. “This can occur for a number of reasons including regional restrictions, game design, or the incompatibility between features you are interacting with.”

Earlier this week, the UK Gambling Commission said it doesn’t consider video game loot boxes to be a form of gambling because there’s no official way for people who purchase them to monetise their virtual contents.

As part of an ongoing ministerial inquiry into immersive and addictive technologies, the gambling watchdog said a prize must be either money or have monetary value for it to fall under gambling legislation.