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Gambling in Japan: Laws and Online Gambling

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Online gambling in Japan: laws and player risks

Elodie explains online casino rules in Japan, the evidence on player enforcement, offshore risks and how to assess available options. Checked 8 November 2026.

Video transcript and official sources → · Country video guides →

Published by Casino News Daily editorial teamReviewed byFilip RadulovicOur editorial approach

Gambling is a crime in Japan unless a specific statute authorises it. The Penal Code punishes gambling, habitual gambling and running a gambling venue, and the lawful exceptions are each created by special legislation: betting on four “public sports” (horse, bicycle, powerboat and motorcycle racing), lotteries run by local governments and, from 2018, casinos inside licensed integrated resorts. No law authorises online casinos. The National Police Agency states that playing at an online casino from Japan is a criminal offence even if the site is licensed abroad, and in 2025 the number of people arrested or otherwise dealt with by police in online gambling cases reached a record 317, driven mainly by an increase in players. A 2025 amendment to the Basic Act on Countermeasures against Gambling Addiction added a ban on promoting illegal online casinos, effective 25 September 2025.

Key points

Articles 185 to 187 of the Penal Code criminalise gambling (fine of up to 500,000 yen), habitual gambling (up to three years’ imprisonment) and running a gambling venue for profit (three months to five years).
Lawful gambling is limited to products created by special statutes: public-sports betting, local-government lotteries and casinos in licensed integrated resorts.
The Integrated Resort Implementation Act (Act No. 80 of 2018) allows up to three resorts; Osaka’s is the only plan approved so far, with opening targeted for autumn 2030; a second application window runs from 6 May to 5 November 2027.
Online casino gambling from Japan is illegal for players as well as operators; 279 people were arrested in online gambling cases in 2024, 162 of them players, and the total rose to 317 in 2025.
Since 25 September 2025, the amended Basic Act on Countermeasures against Gambling Addiction prohibits operating illegal online casino sites and directing people to them, although it carries no penalty of its own.

Regional overview: Gambling laws in Asia puts all 33 countries and territories on one map, grouped by how they regulate gambling.

Last reviewed: 14 October 2026.

Historical development

Illustrated Japan landmarks with reference books and documents for the legal landscape section

Japan’s modern approach to gambling rests on a general prohibition in the Penal Code combined with a set of statutory exceptions, mostly created in the post-war period to raise revenue for local governments and public purposes. The four public sports (kōei kyōgi), horse racing, bicycle racing (keirin), powerboat racing and motorcycle racing, each operate under their own law with parimutuel betting, meaning that winners share a pool of the stakes after a deduction. Lotteries (takarakuji) are issued by the prefectures and the 20 designated cities, which receive the proceeds for public works and similar purposes (Takarakuji official site).

Pachinko, a pinball-like machine game played in very large numbers of parlours, occupies a special position. Pachinko parlours are licensed by the police as amusement businesses under the law regulating the entertainment and amusement trades, rather than being authorised as gambling (National Police Agency), although the Chambers guide notes that the legality of the machines “has long been discussed”.

Casinos were the subject of a long political debate. The Diet passed an integrated resort (IR) promotion law in 2016, and the detailed IR Implementation Act followed in July 2018 (Chambers, 2025). The Act allows casinos only as one component of large resorts that also include hotels, convention facilities and entertainment venues.

Legal framework

The Penal Code

The Penal Code contains three gambling offences:

Article 185 (gambling): a person who gambles is punished by a fine of not more than 500,000 yen or a petty fine, except where the stake is something provided for momentary entertainment.
Article 186 (habitual gambling; running a gambling place): a habitual gambler faces imprisonment of up to three years; a person who runs a gambling place or organises gamblers for profit faces imprisonment of three months to five years.
Article 187 (lotteries): selling lottery tickets without authority is punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to 1.5 million yen, with lesser penalties for intermediaries and other dealings.

Any lawful form of gambling therefore needs a statute that removes it from these provisions. The racing laws, the lottery legislation and the IR Implementation Act all perform this function for their own products.

The IR Implementation Act

The Act on the Development of Specified Integrated Resort Areas (Act No. 80 of 27 July 2018), usually called the IR Implementation Act, sets out how resorts are selected and how casinos within them are run. Its main features, as set out in the Act itself (official English translation), the government’s outline of the bill and the Chambers Gaming Law 2025 guide for Japan, are:

a cap of three certified area development plans, each with one casino;
an entry charge of 6,000 yen per 24-hour period for Japanese nationals and residents, split equally between the national government and the host prefecture;
visit limits of three entries in any seven consecutive days and ten in any 28 consecutive days;
mandatory identity verification using the My Number card;
a levy of 30% of gross gaming revenue, 15% to the national treasury and 15% to the host prefecture or city; and
restrictions on credit, with residents limited to deposit-based arrangements, and limits on cash machines in the facility.

Regulator and licensing model

Japan’s model is one of narrow statutory exceptions, each with its own supervising ministry or body, rather than a single gambling licence system. Casinos are supervised by the Casino Regulatory Commission, an administrative commission attached to the Cabinet Office and established on 7 January 2020 (Casino Regulatory Commission). It licenses and supervises casino operators within approved resorts. Site selection is a separate process: prefectures and designated cities apply with a private operator, and the national government certifies their area development plans.

Only one plan has been certified. On 14 April 2023 the government approved Osaka’s plan for a resort on Yumeshima, an artificial island in Osaka Bay, developed by a consortium of MGM Resorts International and Orix, with planned investment of 1.08 trillion yen (GGRAsia, April 2023). Construction began on 24 April 2025, by which time the project was valued at about 1.27 trillion yen (GGRAsia, April 2025). In July 2026 the resort operator said the project remained on time and on budget for opening in autumn 2030 (iGaming Expert, July 2026). The Chambers guide for 2025 confirms that no other area had been approved. No casino is yet operating in Japan.

Online gambling and enforcement

Online casino games on mobile devices

No Japanese law authorises online casino gaming, and the IR framework applies only to physical casinos within certified resorts. The National Police Agency states that gambling at an online casino from Japan is a crime, whether or not the casino is lawfully operated in another country. Japanese-language service, acceptance of payments from Japan and a foreign licence do not create an exemption. The Chambers guide notes that the government’s position is that online gambling activities occurring “within Japan” may constitute offences under the Penal Code regardless of offshore licensing.

Enforcement has increased sharply. The National Police Agency’s annual report on the regulation of amusement businesses records that in 2024 police handled 62 online gambling cases and arrested 279 people, an increase of 172 on 2023. Of those arrested, 117 were operators or managers and 162 were players (National Police Agency, April 2025). Kumamoto Prefectural Police give the trend as 59 arrests in 2022, 107 in 2023 and 279 in 2024 (Kumamoto Prefectural Police). In 2025 the number of people arrested or otherwise dealt with rose by 38 to 317, the highest figure since 2018, mainly because more players were caught (Jiji Press, April 2026). Police action has also targeted payment agents who move funds to offshore sites, affiliates who promote them, and services using cryptocurrency.

The scale of the problem was set out in the first survey commissioned by the National Police Agency, conducted between July and October 2024 and reported in March 2025. It estimated that about 3.37 million people in Japan had used online casinos, about 1.97 million were still doing so, and annual stakes were about 1.24 trillion yen (Nippon.com; Japan MAC, January 2026).

The 2025 amendment on online casinos

Parliament responded by amending the Basic Act on Countermeasures against Gambling Addiction rather than the Penal Code or the IR Implementation Act. The amending law (Act No. 76 of 2025) was passed on 18 June 2025, promulgated on 25 June 2025 and took effect on 25 September 2025 (Japan MAC). According to the National Police Agency, it prohibits:

opening or operating online casino websites and apps;
posting links to them, including on social media;
creating recommendation or ranking sites that list them; and
otherwise encouraging people to register with them.

The amendment also requires national and local government to inform the public that online casino gambling is illegal. It does not itself carry criminal or administrative penalties (Japan MAC). Its main practical effect is to give platforms, app stores and internet intermediaries a clear legal basis for removing content and refusing services. Separately, police have arrested affiliate marketers who promoted offshore casinos to Japanese users (National Police Agency).

Position of players

Japan is one of the few countries in which players at offshore online casinos are regularly prosecuted. Under Article 185, simple gambling is punishable by a fine of up to 500,000 yen, and habitual gambling by up to three years’ imprisonment under Article 186. In 2024, 162 of the 279 people arrested in online gambling cases were players, and the rise to 317 in 2025 was driven mainly by players. The National Police Agency stresses that the casino’s overseas licence and the player’s location at home do not matter: the act of gambling takes place in Japan.

Taxation

Winnings from lawful public-sports betting are taxable in principle. The National Tax Agency lists winnings from horse racing and keirin among examples of “occasional income” (unless they arise from continuous profit-seeking activity). Occasional income is reduced by expenses and a special deduction of 500,000 yen a year, and only half of the remainder is added to other income for tax purposes. When the IR casinos open, operators will pay the 30% levy on gross gaming revenue described above. Proceeds of illegal gambling are subject to criminal confiscation rather than taxation.

Consumer protection and responsible gambling

Secure account login with a padlock and shield The Basic Act on Countermeasures against Gambling Addiction sets out the responsibilities of national and local government for addressing gambling disorder, and the 2025 amendment added a duty to inform the public that online casino gambling is illegal. The IR Implementation Act adds casino-specific safeguards: the 6,000 yen entry charge, visit limits, identity checks through the My Number card, and restrictions on credit and cash machines.

The National Center for Addiction Services Administration, run by the National Hospital Organization Kurihama Medical Center under the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, provides a directory of consultation services and medical institutions for gambling problems across Japan. Prefectural mental health and welfare centres also offer consultations. General guidance is available in our responsible gambling guide.

Recent and upcoming developments

Osaka IR. Construction has been under way since April 2025. In July 2026 the resort operator reported that more than 60% of the foundation piles were complete and that opening remained on schedule for autumn 2030 (iGaming Expert). Before it opens, the operator must obtain a casino licence from the Casino Regulatory Commission.
Online casino enforcement. The September 2025 ban on promotion and the public information duty have been accompanied by continuing arrests of players, operators, payment agents and affiliates.
Further resorts. Up to three areas may be certified under the 2018 Act, and only Osaka has been approved. A Cabinet Order issued in March 2026 set a second application window from 6 May to 5 November 2027; Aichi Prefecture has consulted the public on a possible resort near Chubu Centrair International Airport (GGRAsia, March 2026).

Sources and further reading

Ministry of Justice, Japanese Law Translation, Penal Code (Act No. 45 of 1907) (accessed 5 October 2026).
National Police Agency, オンラインカジノを利用した賭博は犯罪です (Gambling at online casinos is a crime) (accessed 5 October 2026).
National Police Agency, 令和6年における風俗営業等の現状と風俗関係事犯等の取締り状況について (Amusement businesses and related enforcement in 2024) (April 2025).
Kumamoto Prefectural Police, オンラインカジノを利用した賭博は犯罪です (Online casino gambling is a crime) (accessed 5 October 2026).
Japan MAC, 利用者337万人・賭け金1.2兆円──オンラインカジノ急増で動いた2025年法改正とは (3.37 million users and 1.2 trillion yen: the 2025 legal amendment) (January 2026).
Chambers and Partners, Gaming Law 2025: Japan (2025).
Ministry of Justice, Japanese Law Translation, Act on Development of Specified Integrated Resort Districts (Act No. 80 of 2018) (accessed 14 October 2026).
Casino Regulatory Commission, Official website (accessed 5 October 2026).
GGRAsia, Osaka casino development plan approved by govt (14 April 2023).
GGRAsia, US$8.9bln Osaka casino resort breaks ground in Japan (24 April 2025).
Casino Regulatory Commission, 委員会の任務と所掌事務について (Mission and functions of the Commission) (accessed 14 October 2026).
National Tax Agency, No.1490 一時所得 (Occasional income) (accessed 5 October 2026).
National Center for Addiction Services Administration, Official website (accessed 5 October 2026).
Tomakomai City, 特定複合観光施設区域整備法案の概要 (Outline of the Integrated Resort Implementation Bill) (accessed 14 October 2026).
Takarakuji official site, 収益金の使い道 (How lottery proceeds are used) (accessed 14 October 2026).
iGaming Expert, Operator optimism over Osaka resort progress (30 July 2026).
GGRAsia, Japan confirms 2027 dates of integrated resort-application second round (10 March 2026).
Jiji Press via Nippon.com, Arrests Hit Record High in Japan over Online Gambling (23 April 2026).
Nippon.com, オンラインカジノ337万人が利用経験、4割違法性認識せず (3.37 million have used online casinos: first National Police Agency survey) (2025).

Casino listings for players in Japan

The listings below are generated automatically from our casino database. They do not show that an operator is authorised in Japan. No Japanese authority licenses online casinos, and offering online casino games to residents of Japan is not permitted. Playing at an online casino from Japan is a criminal offence, even if the site is licensed abroad. The listings must not be read as an indication that playing is lawful. See the National Police Agency’s guidance (in Japanese).

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