Japan has asked the governments of Canada, Costa Rica, Georgia, Malta, Gibraltar, Anjouan Island (Comoros), Curacao (Netherlands), and Isle of Man to block Japanese citizens’ access to online casino sites licensed in those countries as part of a crackdown on online gambling.
Gambling on offshore sites is illegal in Japan, but it is estimated that Japanese citizens wagered about 6.45 trillion yen (approximately $45 billion) on international sporting events through illegal offshore platforms in 2024. That’s about five times more than legal domestic online casinos wagered.
Japan’s House of Representatives has previously passed a bill aimed at tightening regulations on illegal online betting. The bill comes in response to high-profile cases of Japanese celebrities and professional athletes using online casinos.
Most forms of online gambling remain illegal in Japan, with the exception of lotteries, horse racing, motorcycle and motorboat racing.
Kyodo also reported that of the 40 online casino sites available to Japanese users, all were licensed overseas, with 70% of them in Curacao.
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