Residents in Taiwan's Penghu Islands will be given the opportunity to vote on whether casino gaming should be allowed in the region.

County official Kao Wen-shih said that Penghu’s 70,000 residents will be able to cast their votes at polling stations on September 26.

“If more than 50 per cent of the voters back or oppose building casinos, then the outcome of the referendum will be valid,” he said.

Although Taiwan currently bans gambling, in January this year the country’s parliament passed a law legalising offshore casinos if the majority of residents supported them.