Police to Seek Removal of Casino Sites Aimed at Japan; Advertising of Such Illegal Operations Also Targeted

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:27 JST, July 17, 2025

The National Police Agency announced Thursday its plan to request overseas casino operators and services that lead to online casinos to remove their sites for Japan’s domestic market.

The move is expected in late September, in line with the implementation of the revised basic law on measures against gambling addiction, which was enacted last month and will tighten regulations.

Based on a recent survey, the NPA estimates that 3.37 million people in Japan have visited online casinos, with more than 70% of them actually betting money. Annual bets are estimated to total approximately ¥1.2 trillion.

The majority of the sites are legally operated overseas, and the question is whether requests for their removal can be effectively implemented.

The revised law prohibits the establishment and operation of casino sites for the Japanese market, and clarifies that the advertising and promotion of such sites is also illegal.

The NPA plans to request site operators and providers, including overseas businesses, to take down their sites, and is considering revising the operational guidelines of the Internet Hotline Center (IHC), which is commissioned by the agency to deal with illegal and harmful information on the internet.

The IHC has been requesting website administrators to remove child pornography and illegal information such as that involved in drug trafficking, but it has not requested the removal of casino websites or online advertisements and videos that lead users to such websites.

In addition to casino sites known to the NPA, the IHC will collect information obtained through cyber patrols and request the removal of such sites.

Meanwhile, the draft revisions of the guidelines include examples of problematic phrases in solicitations, such as “Japanese language support” and “recommended ranking.” Even if a site introduces a “free version” of an online casino or states that use of the site is illegal, it may be judged as an inducement to illegal gambling.

Online videos that show people playing at casinos and come with links to casino sites are also subject to the deletion request.

The NPA plans to begin requesting domestic and foreign operators to remove casino sites and such postings in line with the timing of the enforcement of the law on Sept. 25, after public comment procedures.

“We would like to make it known both in Japan and abroad that the operation of casino sites and advertisements will become illegal in Japan as a result of the enforcement of the revised law,” a senior police official said. “We will persistently make repeated requests for removal.”