Online Gambling in Japan
Background
Gambling in Japan has a long history, primarily centred around traditional activities such as pachinko, lotteries, and betting on public sports (horse racing, bicycle racing, motorboat racing, and motorcycle racing). With the advent of the internet in the late 1990s, online gambling began to emerge, although it was largely unregulated and operated in a legal grey area.
Development of Regulations
The development of regulations for online gambling in Japan has been gradual and cautious. Initially, there was little legislative focus on online gambling, but as the internet grew, so did the awareness and need for regulation.
The government has taken a conservative approach, focusing on protecting public welfare and maintaining strict control over gambling activities.
In 2016, Japan passed the Integrated Resort (IR) Promotion Law, which allowed for the development of integrated resorts with casinos. This marked a significant shift in the country’s approach to gambling. However, this law primarily targets land-based casinos rather than online gambling.
Current Regulations
Under current Japanese law, most forms of online gambling are illegal, except for those run by the government or authorised entities. The Penal Code prohibits unauthorised gambling, and the government makes efforts to monitor and block access to unauthorised online gambling websites.
The legal forms of gambling include lotteries, public sports betting, and pachinko, which are regulated and overseen by specific government agencies. Additionally, online gambling operators cannot legally operate within Japan, and players using unauthorised offshore sites do so at their own risk and without regulated avenues of dispute resolution.
Major Operators
Given the strict regulations, there are no major domestic online gambling operators in Japan. However, international operators like Bet365, Evoke, and other offshore casinos and betting sites attract Japanese players and happily accept them.
Japanese Roulette with live dealer chat in Japanese @ 888
These operators often provide Japanese-language services and accept yen, catering to the local market while operating outside Japanese jurisdiction. Live dealer tables with Japanese dealers are common. Evolution’s Japanese Roulette table above, and Pragmatic Play’s Japanese Speed Baccarat table below are examples.
Japanese Speed Baccarat @ Stake
The government continues to combat these offshore entities through regulatory measures and internet policing, but they remain popular among Japanese users due to the limited legal options available domestically.
Best live casinos for Japanese players
In the absence of any existing regulatory framework, a number of well known online casino operators have been providing Japanese centric services for some time now, including yen account options and tables with Japanese speaking dealers.
