The Chinese authority’s advice is to take steps to outlaw songs at singing venues and on radios with dangerous material, such as lyrics that encourage drug use, or religious practice, and even games you find at GamblingAuthority are banned.
The Department of Culture and Tourism in China has banned gambling-themed songs at the country’s 60,000+ karaoke bars, including those played on local radios.
This includes, but is not limited to, music having lyrics that may encourage drug use and gambling. Music that promotes cults or prejudices or threatens national unity, sovereign rights, or sovereign equality is also prohibited.
Silencing Freedom of Information
China enforces domestic surveillance regulations to silence political dissent and monitor online expression. The CPC passed national security legislation in Hong Kong last year that essentially expanded these powers into the territory and criminalized a wide range of terms as threats to the nation’s safety.
Since then, the legislation has been used to control many other media types, including Hong Kong films and songs that pertain to gambling.
Cultural upheaval
Beijing has been fighting an ongoing battle against unlicensed gambling across international borders. There is a push from the authorities to crack down on offshore casinos that attract Chinese gamblers and make it easier for them to send money outside.
The “Great Firewall,” China’s massive internet filtering system, is in place and operational. This is an effort to restrict access to questionable foreign information sources, including those that promote gambling, terrorism, or pornographic content.
Beijing has lately begun tightening regulatory restrictions on China’s rising Big Tech sector to rein in the “disorganized spread of capital” and ensure the industry continues to serve the state’s interests. An estimated $1 trillion in industry losses has come from this.
However, the ban on gambling songs is part of a mini-cultural rebellion to replace a post-work gambling culture with “proper values,” as reported by Chinese authorities.
Banned Songs
‘Casino Boogie’ by Rolling Stones
Has gambling had anything to do with this song? Many fans don’t know. It features a blend of cut-and-paste gibberish lyrics and sloppy, shouty blues music. It’s also a contender for the album’s weakest song, “Exile on Main Street” (1971). However, this does not detract from its quality of being “too explicit” and “too threatening” for the Chinese authorities to ban this song.
‘Lawyers, Guns, and Money by Warren Zevon
The politburo in Beijing may not take his satire of the exploits of wealthy young Americans. This song is a straight revolt to the Chinese authority resulting to its absolute banning from karaoke and radio.
Playing Poker with Ghostface Killah
The Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah released this song in which he boasted about his poker skills. In contrast, Ghostface’s poker tactics were erratic at best. This song was banned by the Chinese authority just because it mentioned Poker.
‘Dead or Alive’ – You Keep Me Spinning
The song has been popular since its 1985 debut by the British band Dead or Alive. The song’s international success led casinos to use it in their games. The tunes put a whole new spin on classic casino games like poker and blackjack.
‘Life is a Gamble’ – Big K.R.I.T
Big K.R.I.T.’s Life is a Gamble is only one example of many excellent tracks now available in the rap genre that talks about gambling, and the Chinese government isn’t happy at all.
This song effectively parallels life’s high stakes with the roulette wheel’s thrill. We put a lot of stakes on it, and he recalls several occasions when he rolled the dice or cashed in chips.
‘Las Vegas’ – Kendrick Lamar
The clever lyricism of this song brilliantly links the excitement of gambling with the emotions that ladies evoke. He likens his strategy to winning at famous casino games to impress a female.
He highlights explicitly high-stakes card games like roulette and blackjack as places to put down serious cash in hopes of winning a lot. He was afraid to approach her, but she was worth the risk. Still, this clever storytelling did not impress the Chinese authority.
‘The Gambler’ by Kenny Rogers
The Gambler, a song by Kenny Rogers, has been played on repeat until it’s no longer enjoyable, whenever there’s even a passing reference to gambling on television and for everyone who has gambled before or ever will.
The song’s message of ‘know when to walk away has a great sense of moral realization that still the Chinese government banned for ‘many reasons.’
‘Mo Money, Mo Problems’ – Notorious BIG ft. Puff Daddy & Ma$e
Any true believer in hip-hop would agree that this is true gambling classic music. The song’s title refers to the difficulties that might arise when one has a lot of money. The more of them you have, the more trouble you’ll have.
The phrase “We don’t play around, it’s a bet, lay it down” is an excellent metaphor for how seriously you should treat the significant risk of maintaining your current standard of living and financial stability.
Final Words
China is known for its ‘censorship‘ and public suppression. And songs about gambling is not an exception. For the Chinese people, it is a breach of basic human rights. But authorities are clear about the law, and there is nothing we can do about it.
