Casino Legal In Japan
Japan Home to Most Legal Gaming Machines in the World, as Country Inches Closer to Commercial Casinos. Posted on: November 3, 2019, 02:00h. Last updated on: November 1, 2019, 12:44h. Since 2018, casino operators have been bidding for three legal licenses to operate an integrated casino resort in Japan, including in Osaka, Tokyo, and Yokohama. The Japanese government established the Casino Administration Committee in 2020 to supervise and manage Japan's resort operators.
Check all the info needed on online gambling in Japan. Is Online Gambling Legal in Japan?
Introduction
Often times casino online game players are met with very many rules and regulations that tend to get in the way of their epic game time moments.
When it comes to casino online game players that find themselves in Japan, there are a few legalities that these players need to take into consideration.
From the onset, it must be clarified that under the Criminal Code, chapter 23, gambling in Japan is generally illegal. There are indeed a few exceptions, where players in Japan are given free reign to play to their heart’s content, but overall, gambling in Japan is not legal and is fully banned.
Having said that, casino online players are quite innovative and seem to be able to find loopholes when it most matters, therefore any ardent casino online game player seeking to put some hours in on their favourite casino online slot game is able to do so, even if playing in Japan. We’ll discuss how this is made possible below, simply put, even in the far reaches of Japan, casino online players are able to find a way to get their fun & games on.
Is it legal to gamble online in Japan?
As mentioned above, casino online gambling, and actually gambling, in general, is not legal in Japan. Under the Criminal Code, chapter 23, the generalised practice of gambling, in a land-based casino and via online casino gambling sites is banned, and not supported by any regulatory boards in Japan.
However, there are a few exceptions to the rule, where a few gaming enterprises are altogether accepted and legal to take part in, provided they fall under the following categories:
- Horse racing
- Motorsports racing
- Bicycle racing
- Motorboat racing
The above types of races allow for gambling to take place around these activities, and are the exception to the Criminal Code chapter 23 law.
There is also an exception to certain gambling games, where they are legal and playing them is encouraged, as it is considered to be amusement and not gambling. The games in question happen to the be the following:
- Mahjong
- Pachinko
- Lottery games
When a Japanese player takes part in any of the above-mentioned activities or sports and decides to place a bet or wager on the outcome, there is no further legal repercussions or ramifications associated as these games are altogether legal to play.
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Although casino online gambling is at present considered an illegal practice in Japan, there have been petitions and bills drafted by certain individuals, who would like to see the casino online gambling industry ban be lifted in Japan, and accordingly, there has been a bill drafted in April 2013, requesting the legalisation of land-based casinos in Japan.
As of yet this bill is still on the medium-term agenda of Japan’s government’s radar and appears to have quite a bit of political support in favour of passing this bill. Should this bill be passed, it will, of course, only have positive implications for the world of casino online gambling as well – but until that happens, online casino game players will have to continue forfeiting their right to play their casino online slot game while in Japan.
The other alternative, however, is for the casino online game player is to log in to an offshore online casino that accepts players from Japan, and continue to play their hand at the various casino online game titles available to them from that particular online casino brand. This is indeed a viable option for casino online game player in Japan, as the government has not placed a ban on offshore online casinos catering for the players in Japan. There is also no record of any casino online player from Japan being prosecuted for playing via an offshore casino online gambling site.
So, as is quite plain to see from the above-mentioned factors, it is quite clear that although Japan has banned online poker and internet casino gameplay within their jurisdiction, there is still a light at the end of the gaming tunnel, so to speak, as casino online players are still able to access their favourite casino online gaming titles via the use of an offshore gaming portal.
Conclusion
Playing at an online casino in Japan is not overly done, and even given the largely populated underground gambling circles in Japan, there is still an unwritten rule that casino online game players know very well when playing in Japan.
There is a loophole that many a casino online game player will choose to frequent, in lieu of grabbing that opportunity to play a casino online game title; and that loophole entails making use of an offshore casino online gambling site. Usually the offshore casino online gambling site will have a casino online gambling licence issued from Macau, which means that the casino online gambling site in question may tend to operate from the Macau shores, in which case it is still quite legal for casino online game players to access and play their favourite casino online game titles, from this type of offshore casino online gaming site.
It is always important to follow the rules and laws of the land, and of course, there is no way shape or form that illegal casino online gameplay practices are condoned by us, which is why the fact that offshore casino online gameplay is not a practice banned by the Japanese government.
Where there is will, there will be a way found and implemented. And when it comes to casino online players in Japan, although it is not legal to take part in casino online gambling in Japan – it is very much legal to access those offshore casino online gambling sites accordingly.
The fact that there is still a great opportunity for any good casino online slot game player, whether situated in Japan or elsewhere, to be able to access a gaming portal via the offshore casino online platforms bodes well for game player the world over.
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Is Casino Gambling Legal In Japan
Casino gambling could become legal in Japan within five years, as a group of 150 lawmakers from different parties have agreed, in a rare occasion of political cooperation, that the measure would support economic growth in the country.
The process of making gambling legal could begin in the next two years, driven by success stories of similar businesses from the U.S., the example of other Asian countries and the hope for economic recovery.
Casino Legal In Japanese
Introducing casino gambling in Japan would “help promote tourism, encourage business, create jobs, and boost local development,” said Takeshi Iwaya, a representative of the Liberal Democratic Party. “Neighboring areas are contemplating similar plans, so if we don’t hurry, we may risk missing out on a big opportunity.”
Currently, even if gambling is technically illegal in Japan, a number of bets are allowed, like those on bicycle, motorboat, motorcycle and horse racing, as well as pachinko, a popular vertical pinball-like game similar to the slot machines in the casinos from the West.
Japanese politicians are discussing the possibility of making gambling legal for about 10 years.
Japan could get revenues of up to $10 billion from the new industry, according to an estimation by The Wall Street Journal.