16 top level baseball players have felt the wrath of the intensified regulatory action in Japan after illegally engaging with online casinos.
The only player named was the Orix Buffaloes’ pitcher Taisuke Yamaoka, with the total amount of fines being issued to the 16 players totalling up to ¥10.2 million ($67,670).
The levels of sanctions issued to each player depended upon a myriad of factors including the frequency of which player gambled and their own salaries.
It comes as Japan is strengthening its framework around safer gambling after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Cabinet approved a new focus on tackling addiction in the country.
Initially reported by the Japan Times, the plans focus on an intensified strategy against affiliate’s promotions of gambling.
Yoshitaka Ito, the minister in charge of measures to combat gambling addiction stated during a news conference: “There are strong indications the number of people accessing online casino sites is increasing.”
The move wasn’t enough for some corners of the market though, as Noriko Tanaka, representative director of The Society Concerned about the Gambling Addiction, elevated her lobbying for an increase in legislative action around the gambling industry.
Currently, there is a strict framework that prohibits gambling in Japan which means that the majority of gambling services are illegal – despite publicly run services such as horse racing and some motor sports betting.
As a result of Japan’s stringent iGaming regulations, 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.
Whilst the vast majority of gambling services have been prohibited in Japan for a significant period of time, there have been widespread reports that the nation’s government is exploring opening its doors to casino resorts.
Some reports even suggest that Japanese officials confirmed plans to build the country’s first resort in Osaka in 2029.
