Japan PM says online casinos to remain illegal

[The Buzz]

Speaking at a Budget Committee meeting on 1 June, Japanese Prime Minister Prime Minister Fumio Kishida promised to crack down on the use of online casinos, reiterating that they remain a “gambling crime” and insisting illegal organizations will not be tolerated.

The comments were in response to questions from Constitutional Democratic Party councilman Issei Yamagishi, who noted that inquiries to the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan regarding online casinos had increased from about 100 annually in 2014 to nearly 500 in 2020. There are an estimated more than 2 million users of online casinos in Japan.

From Inside Asian Gaming:

Prime Minister Kishida said, “In the event a portion of the act of gambling is taking place within Japan, it constitutes a gambling crime. I understand there are cases in which arrests and criminal charges have been made related to online casinos. We cannot allow illegal organizations to expand.”

Asked which ministry, agency or minister was in charge of enforcement against online casinos, the Prime Minister replied, “There is not just one. Related ministries and agencies are each responding to the issue.”

Among the related topics broached by Yamagishi were the use of payment agents to deposit and withdraw funds, and gambling addiction – specifically initiatives included in the government’s Basic Plan to combat addiction.

Asked if this Basic Plan was sufficient, Kishida said, “The Basic Plan to combat gambling addiction focuses on countermeasures for addiction to be taken by operators in legal gambling. Online casinos are illegal and cracking down on illegal gambling is the entire point of the basic plan in my opinion.”

Yamagishi also criticized the government’s efforts to develop Japan’s first integrated resorts, claiming its inability to eliminate illegal online casinos meant they would be unable to prevent “societal threats” posed by IRs.

Read more here: https://www.asgam.com/index.php/2022...er-crackdowns/

[electricgambler]

Thanks for the update. Japan is still a pretty big country in terms of casino affiliates right? I see both Catena and Gambling.com are active there.

[masu_enu]

I think it is very dangerous to make services in other countries illegal.