Govt to Consider Blocking Access to Online Casino Sites; Rise in Cases is Social Problem

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:06 JST, March 1, 2025

The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry will consider such measures as blocking access to websites hosting online casinos after discussing the matter with experts and others, it was learned Friday.

The move comes amid a string of cases in which people were found to have gambled on the sites.

Asked about the possibility of blocking public access to such sites at a subcommittee meeting of the House of Representatives’ Budget Committee on the day, the chief of the ministry’s Telecommunications Business Department said: “We are preparing to set up a forum to consider the matter. We want to move everything forward so that we can start considering the measure as soon as possible.”

He said that the forum would include discussions on technical issues and anticipated costs.

Gambling on overseas online casino sites is illegal in Japan, even if the sites are operated legally overseas. Last year, police nationwide uncovered more than 160 people who had used online casinos, a threefold increase from the previous year. The use of online casinos has become a social issue, with cases involving celebrities and athletes having come to light.