Japan lower house OKs bill to crack down on illegal online gambling

by prohibiting websites from guiding users to casino sites.

Even those websites could be in other language non English, however it might be operated by people and hosted in location where that new bill have no jurisdiction at all.

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In Japan, lotteries and betting on publicly operated races, such as on horse, bicycle, boat and motorcycle racing, are legal.

Japan's still have ongoing plan to develop Casino sites around Osaka.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/04/25/japan/osaka-casino-project-breaks-ground/

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Where Japan can impose tax to the activity

https://iclg.com/practice-areas/gambling-laws-and-regulations/japan

Cracking down on illegal online gambling while building a massive casino in Osaka feels like banning home cooking because you're opening a restaurant. If addiction is the concern, the line between legal and illegal should be about harm, not just tax revenue.

Problem with online gambling is money is being siphoned off to elsewhere, stay at your local pachinkos folks

A matter of time that online sites will no longer be considered casinos because people can only win crypto tokens instead of money, while a convenient (and easily accessed) site will quickly buy those token for real money and sidestep the whole "betting" problem.

I just use a VPN so I can use Ladbrokes back home.

When so many people do it, goverments sadly still think they can control it. The internet is free at least for now. These old government t people have nothing to do. Guys simple tax winnings. It’s almost like the Japanese are crazy seventh day adventists who knock on your door instead of just let people be an do what they want when they aren’t hurting or disturbing anyone. It’s all nonsense. Pachinko okay others not. It’s ridiculous.

It’s fine to lose money at pachinko in Japan but not on an online casino.

Amazing how Japanese politicians can pass these types of laws but cannot address the moribund economy.

Better if the govt also license online casinos so there are legal options

Nah, gambling is a scourge and more of it won't make society better.

Pachinkos, horse racing etc. aren't 24 hours and you have to physically go to them. Dad cannot gamble away the rent sitting there eating dinner with the kids. Japan is better this way.

Only gamble if you’ve found a way to put the odds in your favour. If you’re fast at mental arithmetic it can be done with cash outs on sports and placing bets against both teams. At small time periods it’s possible to make bets where you cannot lose by betting on both teams. Bookies twigged this a while back so they’ll ban you and even can keep your winnings.

Too easy for people to become addicted to gambling though and lose their shirt, don’t take the risk.

Hyprocrisy much?