Japanese baseball players face online gambling allegations
Japanese authorities have referred two Yomiuri Giants baseball players, Louis Okoye and Daiki Masuda, to prosecutors over foreign online casino bets, according to Nippon.com.
The players reportedly confessed to the allegations that they played blackjack and baccarat using smartphones to visit websites such as Wonder Casino and Konibet.
The alleged offenses took place between July 2022 and November 2024. Okoye is alleged to have wagered nearly JPY7 million (US$47,900)1 JPY = 0.0068 USD
2025-05-08Powered by CMG CurrenShift, losing JPY4.5 million (US$30,800)1 JPY = 0.0068 USD
2025-05-08Powered by CMG CurrenShift, while Masuda had bet around JPY3 million (US$20,500)1 JPY = 0.0068 USD
2025-05-08Powered by CMG CurrenShift and lost JPY2.3 million (US$15,800)1 JPY = 0.0068 USD
2025-05-08Powered by CMG CurrenShift.
The Yomiuri Giants sought guidance from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, which reportedly began the investigation.
In recent news, a police survey conducted by the National Police Agency in March revealed that nearly 3.37 million Japanese residents had participated in internet gambling at overseas casinos, equating to a JPY1.2 trillion (US$8.22 billion)1 JPY = 0.0068 USD
2025-05-08Powered by CMG CurrenShift annual spend.
The survey, conducted between July and October last year among 27,145 participants aged 15-79, discovered that 2% of individuals are currently using the sites, and 3.5% have used them at least once. Meanwhile, 39.8% of gamers were unaware that overseas casinos were prohibited in Japan.
The National Police Agency also conducted a separate survey on 40 offshore operators, and its findings led it to believe that offshore casinos specifically targeted Japanese players.
