Tokyo, March 13 Millions of people in Japan are reported to be addicted to online gambling, with the amount of money spent on illegal gambling reaching 1.2 trillion yen annually, a police survey revealed on Thursday.
According to the report of Japan's National Police Agency, about 3.37 million people in Japan are estimated to have used overseas online casinos despite the ban in the country. The findings of its first study are released following recent cases involving athletes and celebrities, amid a lack of public awareness about its illegality, local media reported
Some 40 per cent of the users were unaware online casinos are illegal, the survey by the National Police Agency showed. "There is a possibility that a lack of awareness about illegality encourages people to use online casinos," an NPA official said, leading Japanese daily, The Japan Times reported
The survey, commissioned by police and conducted by a research firm, covered around 27,145 people aged 15 to 79 nationwide between July and January. It found that 3.5 percent of respondents had gambled at virtual casinos. The 3.5 percent equates to about 3.37 million people nationwide, with an estimated 1.97 million still gambling online illegally, the survey said, Japanese media outlet Kyodo News reported
The average amount bet monthly by 500 people who gambled online was 52,000 yen, or about 350 dollars. The total amount bet annually by users nationwide was estimated to be about 1.24 trillion yen, or about 8.4 billion dollars.
A separate NPA survey of 40 overseas online casino sites believed to target Japanese users, conducted between August last year and January this year, showed that only two of them clearly state that participation from Japan is prohibited. Eight sites were available only in Japanese.
Among the 40 sites, the NPA found that for 20 sites, over 90 per cent of users accessing them were in Japan. "They are clearly targeting people in Japan," Japan Times quoted a senior NPA official as saying.
Japan is known for its workaholic people, but a section of the population is becoming addicted to gambling. In 2024, Japanese police accused 279 people of using online casinos, with many unaware that internet gambling is illegal.
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