論賭博罪之除罪化：一個比較法制史之視角

Abstract

我國2021年的網路賭博罪條文修訂，顯示出目前主流民意與呼籲賭博除罪化的法學論述存在顯著分歧。因此，關於賭博罪之法學研究不能僅停留於「應否除罪化」的論爭，更有必要繼續詢問「除罪化如何可能」。 透過法條解釋與保護法益的檢討，本文指出現行法存在的問題，以及這些爭議為何導向了賭博除罪化的主張，亦提出本文認為較為合理的判斷標準和保護法益論述。接著，基於比較法制史的研究視角，本文依序考察日本、英國、美國對於賭博管制政策的不同管制態度及其賭博罪的變遷過程，並且歸納出可能影響賭博法制的共同因素。依循上述法制史的研究方法，本文亦重新檢視我國過去的賭博罪是在何種社會背景之下發展至今，而其中又曾經受到哪些關鍵的行動者或是偶然發生的重大事件所影響。 最後，本文嘗試針對賭博管制政策提出具體改革方向：首先必須刪除普通賭博罪，並且有限度地開放合法博弈事業，藉此讓賭博罪達到部分除罪化，至於非法經營賭博罪則可考慮保留，但其保護法益及規範方式亦應重新檢討。如此一來，我國對於賭博的管制手段才有可能不再單純仰賴刑事制裁。至於賭博相關犯罪的全面除罪化能否進一步實現，則有待社會共識的未來發展。

The 2021 amendment to Taiwan's online gambling provisions highlights a significant divergence between prevailing public opinion and legal scholarship advocating for the decriminalization of gambling. Therefore, legal scholarship on gambling offenses should not remain confined to the debate over "whether it should be decriminalized," but it is even more necessary to further explore " how decriminalization could be made possible." Through statutory interpretation and a reassessment of protected legal interests, this article identifies the underlying issues in current legislation and analyzes how these controversies have led to increasing calls for decriminalizing gambling. It further proposes a more appropriate standard of legal judgment and offers a revised account of the legal interests that should be protected in this context. Adopting a comparative legal-historical perspective, this article then examines the differing regulatory approaches and historical development of gambling offenses in Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. From this comparison, it distills a set of common factors that may influence the formation and transformation of gambling legislation. Following this historical-comparative approach, this article also re-examines how Taiwan’s gambling offenses have evolved within particular social contexts and considers the impact of key actors and significant contingent events in shaping their present form. In its final section, this article proposes concrete directions for reforming Taiwan’s gambling regulation policies. It first advocates for the abolition of the offense of participating in gambling, alongside the limited legalization of legitimate gaming enterprises, as a step toward partial decriminalization. Furthermore, it calls for a re-evaluation of both the protected legal interests and regulatory framework concerning the offense of providing gambling venues, though its retention could be considered. Only through such reforms can Taiwan begin to move beyond its reliance on criminal sanctions as the primary means of gambling control. Whether the complete decriminalization of all gambling-related offenses can be further achieved will depend on the future development of social consensus.