In 2024, Japanese police initiated legal action against 279 people for using online casinos. In Japan, the act of gambling is illegal except if it is publicly run, such as horse racing and keirin cycle racing. A 2018 integrated resort law provided an exception to casino games such as poker or baccarat at officially-approved establishments. Japan approved a plan to build the country’s first gambling resort in Osaka 2029 aimed at attracting domestic and international tourists. The government struggles to deal with the problem because Japanese gambling law defines Pachinko as not a form of gambling and is a major source of tax revenue in the country. It is portrayed as an amusement activity rather than gambling in Japan. The number of online casino gamblers in Japan is estimated at three million, according to a survey done by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare. The survey found that 2.8 per cent of the respondents had gambled using online casino in the past 12 months, which means that about 3.46 million people are estimated to have gambled online. About 80 per cent say that Pachinkso, a pinball-like arcade game, is the main source of their addiction.
