Japan’s National Police Agency (NPA) identified a record number of online casino users in 2024, despite iGaming remaining illegal for Japanese citizens.
Last year saw the most online casino users and ‘dealers’ in Japan since its police force began recording statistics in 2018, as 279 players were tracked and identified across the year.
As Japan upholds stringent laws that keep the majority of gambling services illegal – despite publicly run services such as horse racing and some motor sports betting – these identified users and ‘dealers’ are likely making use of offshore operations that operate with Japanese language options.
The NPA identified 162 online casino users in 2024, with 117 dealers, both record numbers for the nation’s gambling statistics. Despite only identifying a few hundred iGaming users, Japan’s police force estimates that there could be around three million users in total.
According to a survey conducted by the International Casino Institute, based in Tokyo, around 2.8% of 6,000 surveyed members of the Japanese public claimed to have gambled on online casinos in the past 12 months.
Meanwhile, Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun analysed the total number of times 30 popular online casinos that offer services in Japanese and other languages were accessed in the last year.
The publication found that sites were accessed about 84 million times in Japan, with more than 70% of those coming via smartphones and other mobile devices.
As iGaming is illegal in Japan, identified online casino users face a potential fine of up to ¥500,000, while habitual gamblers could even face imprisonment of up to three years.
Due to the use of online payment methods to fund gambling accounts on offshore platforms, the NPA has underlined an aim to crack down on payment agency service operators.
Despite the majority of gambling services remaining illegal in Japan, there are rumours that the nation will open its doors to casino resorts, as Japanese officials allegedly confirmed plans to build the country’s first resort in Osaka in 2029.
