Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) published a policy statement that the country aims to introduce a new tax measure, which would exempt non-resident players from paying...
Japan Urges Foreign Regulators to Block Access to Online Gambling
Japan intensifies efforts to ban illegal online gambling, urging 8 foreign regulators to block access to licensed casino websites targeting Japanese residents.
The Japanese government has reached out to regulators in Canada, Costa Rica, Georgia, Malta, Anjouan Island in the Comoros, Curaçao, the Isle of Man, and Gibraltar to prevent their licensees from providing services to players in Japan. Many of these websites operate in Japanese and accept yen, misleading players into believing they are legitimate.
According to Japanese law, gambling on unlicensed overseas websites is a criminal offense, regardless of the operator’s legality abroad.
A recent report showed that all out of 40 online casinos available in Japanese are licensed, with nearly 70% of them registered in Curaçao. Only 2 of the websites prohibited access to Japanese users, while 6 received all their traffic from Japan. Police assessed that around 1.24 trillion yen ($8.6 billion) is wagered annually by Japanese users on those websites.
According to law enforcement, around 3 million people in Japan have gambled on foreign websites, as many of them are accessible through phones and computers. These services fall outside Japan’s legal gambling framework, which is limited to state-regulated lotteries and betting on select motor sports and horse racing.
The recent checkup also showed professional athletes and celebrities gambling online, which urged lawmakers to soon pass legislation banning domestic websites from directing users to offshore casino operators. Once the new law is passed, the government intends to repeat its requests to the 8 regulators.
This move is a result of the launch of MGM Osaka, a $10 billion casino resort backed by MGM Resorts International. Authorities believe that safeguarding the legal gambling framework is essential to ensure the success of the project and maintain public trust.
On December 17, 2025, the Japan Tourism Agency announced that bidding for integrated resorts will be open between May and November 2027, as Hard Rock International plans to...
