Japanese survey reveals more than 3 million gamble online illegally
A report from Japan’s National Police Agency (NPA) has shown that the money spent on illegal gambling across Japan each year exceeds JPY1.2 trillion (US$8.07 billion)1 JPY = 0.0067 USD
2025-03-14Powered by CMG CurrenShift, according to the Japan Times.
Online gambling is illegal in Japan, but according to statistics collected on behalf of the Japanese police, an estimated 3.7 million people have used offshore online casino platforms. Around 40% of these online gamblers are unaware that their sites are illegal.
An official from the NPA told the Japan Times, “there is a possibility that a lack of awareness about illegality encourages people to use online casinos.”
The survey, conducted by a research firm commissioned by the police, interviewed more than 27,000 people aged between 15 and 79 and 3.5% of respondents had spent time gambling at online casinos, which extrapolates to 3.37 million people nationwide.
In addition, the survey revealed that around 60% of respondents were aware of online casinos, with 4.6% admitting they had accessed these sites and three-quarters of that amount saying they had gambled.
According to the NPA report, roughly JPY630,000 (US$4,240)1 JPY = 0.0067 USD
2025-03-14Powered by CMG CurrenShift is gambled on online casinos per person annually.
Previously, the NPA studied 40 overseas online casino sites that target Japanese users. It found that eight sites were available only in Japanese, and only two sites stated that online gambling is banned in Japan.
For half of the sites involved in the study, 90% of users accessing them were from Japan.
Charlotte Capewell brings her passion for storytelling and expertise in writing, researching, and the gambling industry to every article she writes. Her specialties include the US gambling industry, regulator legislation, igaming, and more.
Verticals:
Sectors:
Topics:
