New online casinos in Japan: the law and the risk

Integrated resorts

Japan has approved a land-based integrated resort in Osaka. It does not change the rules for online casinos.

An integrated resort is a licensed, physical complex. It operates under Japanese licence conditions, on Japanese soil, with Japanese oversight. An offshore website has none of those features. Approval of the first does not extend to the second.

What Japan's Penal Code says about online casinos

Japan governs gambling through the Penal Code. Japan cites the law as Act No. 45 of 1907. The law was enacted in 1907.

Japan classes online casino play as Prohibited. Japan records its licensing model as Prohibited, so no licence route exists for an online casino.

These statuses point the same way, and none of them depends on where a casino is licensed. A foreign regulator can authorise a casino to accept bets in its own jurisdiction. That authority does not extend into Japan. A player in Japan therefore gets no legal protection from a casino's offshore licence.

Penalties for players and operators in Japan

Japan sets different penalties for players and operators. Our country records hold separate entries for each role, and each entry names the article of the Penal Code it rests on.

The records list a fine for a player who gambles, and a prison term for habitual gambling. They also list a prison term for running a gambling place for profit. The article numbers and amounts are in the country records, so this page does not restate them.

Players who feel gambling is getting out of control can read our guide to gambling addiction and where to get help.

Offshore casinos that accept players from Japan

Offshore casinos can still list Japan among the countries they accept. Accepting a player and being legal for that player are different things. The first is a decision in the casino's terms. The second is a decision in Japanese law.

The ranking on this page compares casinos whose terms do not name Japan as a restricted country. Our ranking method scores each casino on its own checks, and a high position is not advice to play from Japan. Before registering, read the casino's terms. Our overview of terms and conditions at new casinos explains the clauses that matter, because restricted-country wording can change without notice.

Terms may also restrict bonuses by country, so a casino that accepts Japan could still withhold its welcome offer. Players should confirm each restriction with the casino in writing before depositing.

Lotteries and public betting in Japan

Japan treats lotteries as a separate case from casinos. Japan classes online lotteries as Restricted, which is a different status from its treatment of online casinos.

Japan runs its public lotteries under a dedicated statute rather than the Penal Code. That is why the lottery exemption in the Penal Code summary above does not carry over to a casino website.

What this means for Singapore players

This page covers Japan, which is a different market from Singapore. A Singapore resident who travels to Japan should not assume Singapore habits carry over. Casinos that accept players from Singapore often ask for identity documents before a first withdrawal, and our guide to why new online casinos ask for ID explains the reasons.

The safest reading for a traveller is simple. In Japan, do not play at online casinos, and do not move money to casino accounts. Our country pages compare how other markets treat online casinos.