Japan’s House of Representatives passes online casino ban bill
The amendments follow an increase in evidence of gambling-related harm in the nation.
Key points:
– Japan’s House of Representatives has passed a bill to ban opening and operating online casinos in the nation
– The bill will now seek approval from the House of Councillors
Japan’s House of Representatives has passed a bill banning online casino sites in the nation.
The lower chamber of parliament cleared the bill for revision, with major support coming from the Liberal Democratic Party, while the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan voted in opposition.
The bill is next set to be reviewed by the House of Councillors. If it passes, it is expected that the bill will come into effect in the coming weeks. The revised bill aims to tackle gambling addiction in the country.
Indeed, according to a survey released in March, 3.37 million Japanese citizens are estimated to have played on online casinos, with roughly YEN 1.24tn ($8.7bn) spent annually. Online gambling is currently illegal in Japan.
Good to know: BetBlocker recently launched a Japanese language version of its gambling blocking software tool, as gambling-related harm evidence increases in the country
The bill was first submitted in mid-May, following consultations between eight political parties and parliamentary groups. Alongside a ban on opening and operating an online casino, the revised bill also seeks to restrict advertising or directing links to online gaming sites.
These amendments come following data released by the Society Concerned about Gambling Addiction in Tokyo. The group’s findings revealed that consultation requests had increased 11-fold over the past five years, from eight to 91 between 2019 to 2024.
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