Online gambling is illegal, but that hasn’t stopped residents from using offshore casinos to bet. Police said around $8.3 billion is believed to have been spent annually by gamblers in Japan.
Police Survey Estimates More Than 3 Million Japanese Residents Have Gambled Online
Online casino sites are easily accessible for Japanese residents via the internet but doing so violates domestic anti-gambling laws.
Roughly 3.37 million people in Japan have illegally gambled online through offshore operators based in countries like Malta and Panama which aren’t subject to Japanese jurisdiction.
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Japan has asked territories like Malta and Panama to suspend services targeted at Japanese users while strengthening public education campaigns and broadcasting awareness videos and concerts and cinemas.
Authorities are planning to distribute over 100,000 leaflets to warn residents about the dangers of offshore gambling. Data suggests that while most users initially access online casinos to play free games, 75% end up betting with real money.
Japanese officials want the new restrictions to reduce the overall visibility of offshore platforms which should in turn decrease traffic. The country has discussed blocking access to offshore sites but that is still under debate as it could infringe the constitutional right to privacy in communications.
A survey revealed only 40% of those who had used online casinos knew that they were illegal and awareness of people in their 20s was considerably lower.
Joe Lyons is a betting industry writer for GamblingIndustryNews with years of experience on reputable gambling websites. Joe specialises in long form content in the world of sports betting and gambling. Joe is recognised as an expert in sports fields such as horse racing, soccer, NFL and NBA.
