Japan bans online casinos and gambling advertising on digital platforms.

New legislation against online gambling came into effect in Japan on Thursday (25). The measure, approved by the Japanese parliament in June 2025, seeks to combat the growth of illegal betting in the Asian country. The law requires administrators of websites and social media companies to remove promotional content related to gambling when requested by the authorities.

The ban covers all of Japan and applies to all digital platforms, including social media. The legislation also prohibits endorsements by celebrities, affiliate websites, and rating platforms that direct Japanese users to foreign gaming operators.

Although online gambling is already illegal in Japan, it remains easily accessible, leading the Japanese government to request assistance from foreign countries to block access to these platforms. Japanese authorities have contacted gaming regulators in Canada, Costa Rica, Georgia, Malta, Anjouan, Curaçao, the Isle of Man, and Gibraltar, asking them to compel their registered operators to prevent access by Japanese players.

The National Police Agency (NPA) has identified that more than 3,3 million Japanese people have participated in online casino gambling. Approximately 60% of these players are between 20 and 30 years old, highlighting the concentration of the problem among young adults.

The online gambling market in Japan generates approximately 1,24 trillion yen annually, equivalent to 8,4 billion dollars. Most of these bets are placed on offshore platforms licensed in jurisdictions such as Curaçao, Malta, and Gibraltar, whose use is considered illegal in the country.

Although Japanese internet service providers have complied with government requests to block certain gambling websites, the endless and ever-growing list of illegal online gambling platforms makes a complete ban impossible. The use of VPNs (virtual private networks) poses an additional concern, as it allows users to disguise the true location of their internet access.

The new legislation also mandates that national and local governments conduct awareness campaigns to inform the public about the illegality and risks associated with online gambling.

Noriko Tanaka, who leads the Society Concerned with Gambling Addiction, highlighted the seriousness of the situation. “The official number announced by the NPA and the Ministry of Health regarding the number of deaths related to gambling debts is 398,” said Tanaka. “But it is said that only 20% of suicides have their causes identified,” she stated.

Political pressure to implement the law increased after scandals involving public figures. Earlier this year, prosecutors filed charges against a member of the boy band JO1 and six comedians from the Yoshimoto Kogyo entertainment agency for participating in illegal online gambling.

Japanese authorities will intensify their monitoring of websites and digital platforms to ensure compliance with the new legislation. Details on how this monitoring will be carried out and what the specific penalties will be for different types of violations have not yet been released.

It's worth noting that Japan only recently legalized land-based casinos, although the country's first gaming resort – MGM Osaka, an $8,9 billion project – has yet to open. Legal forms of gambling remain limited to pachinko (a game similar to arcade games), public sports betting on horse racing and motorsports, and prefectural lotteries.