Tokyo hosts Japan-UK online gambling addiction conference
Representatives from Japan and the UK met in Tokyo on Sunday to discuss the harms of gambling addiction caused by online casinos and other gambling-related platforms and measures on how to combat it.
The conference, held in Chiyoda Ward in Tokyo, became home to around 500 participants from both countries, including industry experts as well as relatives and friends of people who have lost their lives to gambling.
Various speeches were given on the harms of gambling addiction, including British national Liz Ritchie, who lost her son to gambling addiction. She argued that stronger countermeasures needed to be implemented in society to help those suffering from addiction.
Toshikazu Yamaguchi, president of Japanese media conglomerate The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings, and others from the industry, spoke of introducing countermeasures to sports gambling and gambling on offshore sites.
He argued that Japanese residents gamble JPY6.5 trillion (US$44.0 billion)1 JPY = 0.0068 USD
2025-09-23Powered by CMG CurrenShift on offshore sites each year, particularly on sports betting. Yamaguchi added that Japan should follow European countries and introduce the Macolin Convention to stop the manipulation of sports competitions.
Toshihiko Matsumoto, director of the Department of Drug Dependence Research at the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, also spoke at the conference, discussing the links between gambling addiction and suicide and saying that more support is needed.
The conference follows calls from lawmakers in South Korea last week to introduce stronger treatment programs to stop the rise of gambling addiction among teenagers.
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.
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The Backstory
Inside Japan’s escalating online gambling fight: rising addiction, tougher policing and global pressure
Signals of a surge
Japan’s struggle with online gambling harms has sharpened over the past year as treatment calls, police activity and public scandals converged. A leading support group, the Society Concerned about Gambling Addiction, reported an elevenfold increase in requests for help in five years, with consultations linked to online casinos jumping from eight in 2019 to 91 in 2024. The group’s survey also found that 30% of families coping with addiction reported crimes such as theft or embezzlement tied to gambling. The data, laid out by the association in late 2024, captured the country’s rising alarm as digital platforms make round-the-clock gambling easier and enforcement more complex. That snapshot is detailed in the SCGA’s latest figures on consultation spikes and crime.
The spike has pushed the issue beyond public health circles. Media and entertainment employers have faced reputational risk as personal gambling bleeds into the workplace. In September, a former Fuji Television manager admitted to habitual online casino play in a Tokyo court, telling judges he used gambling in a futile attempt to manage debts. Prosecutors said he wagered about 600 million yen across 145 sessions in less than a year. The case followed a July fine against a young Fuji TV announcer. Together, the episodes showed how online casinos, illegal in Japan, have seeped into professional life and invited scrutiny of corporate compliance and employee assistance practices.
Enforcement tightens, but offshore channels persist
Law enforcement has stepped up pressure on the illicit supply chain that feeds demand. In Tokyo’s Kabukicho district, police arrested 12 people in a raid on a storefront accused of facilitating overseas online casino play, seizing more than 20 computers and uncovering evidence of thousands of customers. Authorities have also moved to choke demand by banning overseas promotional content aimed at Japanese users and asking foreign governments to curb ads targeting residents. Still, the persistence of shops that act as gateways to offshore sites underscores the challenge: platforms outside Japan’s jurisdiction can adapt quickly and reemerge with new marketing and payment channels.
Industry voices have pressed for tools beyond police action. At a high-profile Tokyo meeting that drew roughly 500 participants from Japan and the United Kingdom, speakers urged more systematic prevention and treatment. The event highlighted both the human toll and the policy gaps. A senior Japanese media executive argued that offshore sports betting is a key driver of losses and called for adoption of international standards to deter manipulation of competitions. The debate is captured in coverage of the Japan-UK conference on gambling harms, where public health experts detailed links between addiction and suicide and advocated stronger support services.
Global context, regional warnings
Japan is not alone in confronting digital gambling risks. In South Korea, lawmakers have sounded the alarm over teenagers. Treatment cases for minors tripled from 2022 to 2024, while police data showed a sharp rise in gambling offenses involving youths, driven largely by online casinos and illegal sports betting. The pattern — earlier exposure, easy access and mounting family strain — echoes in Japan’s numbers and raises questions about cross-border platforms and youth safeguards. The trend is outlined in South Korea’s warning on teen gambling addiction.
In the United States, lawmakers are broadening the lens to include high-risk groups. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a measure to let the Department of Defense fund peer-reviewed research into gambling disorder among service members and veterans. Backed by advocates and major operators, the move would create a federally supported pathway to study prevalence, treatment and prevention in military populations. That policy step, described in the Senate panel’s action on military gambling research, shows how governments are beginning to treat gambling addiction as a behavioral health issue on par with other disorders.
What’s at stake for Japan
Japan has legalized integrated resort casinos but continues to ban online casinos and most sports betting, creating a legal gray market that offshore operators exploit. The recent enforcement actions and public cases suggest the current mix of restrictions and ad bans is not stemming demand by itself. Advocates point to a need for earlier screening, financial guardrails and accessible treatment. Policymakers face a triad of choices: stricter platform-level controls and payment blocks, international cooperation to curb offshore marketing, and expanded support for people already in trouble.
The business stakes are significant. Media and tech firms risk brand damage when employees fall into high-profile scandals. Financial institutions and payment providers face scrutiny over compliance with anti-money-laundering and gambling rules. Sports bodies could see pressure to bolster integrity systems as betting expands globally. And for public agencies, untreated addiction translates to costlier outcomes, from criminal justice to health care.
The past year’s flashpoints — the surge in SCGA helpline traffic, the Kabukicho raid, and the Fuji TV courtroom admissions — map a problem that is growing faster than legacy safeguards. The cross-border tenor of the Tokyo forum shows Japan’s next steps will likely require coordination beyond its borders, while domestic policy will have to balance prohibition with pragmatic harm reduction. Whether Japan can bend the curve will depend on how quickly it scales prevention, tightens digital enforcement and connects people to care before debts and criminal risk mount.
