Casino.online, one of the leading betting review websites in the United Kingdom, has landed in Japan. Online gambling in Japan is still debatable, with efforts underway to legalise it. Pachinko is the largest gambling haven in Japan, netting over $200 billion in a fiscal year. This is more than 10 times the value of the UK’s gambling industry. Gambling became legal through the Integrated Resort Act of 2018, bringing 3 land-based casinos in Osaka, Yokohama and Tokyo. It was primarily set to attract international tourists, with China topping the list. However, the digitisation of gambling platforms has increased penetration into the market. Foreign and local companies angle for a piece of the market, which is growing exponentially. They explore the legal loopholes in the anti-gambling law to establish online casinos alongside the select sportsbook markets.

Casino Gambling in Japan

Online casino gambling is illegal in Japan. However, Pachinko, a pinball slot machine, is the only legal casino game in the country. Residents view it as a cultural game, owing to its historical relevance to the Japanese people. As of 2018, the Japanese government spent over $200 billion on Pachinko parlours, which is one of the highest investments by a government in the casino gambling industry in the world.

The first attempt to legalise casino gambling was in 2000 by Shintaro Ishihara, the then governor of Tokyo. His analogy was to boost international tourism in the city. However, the idea received resistance from the public, claiming that it may lead to addiction and organised crime.

Eventually, the idea came back to life in 2015 through the Integrated Resort Act proposed by Shinzo Abe’s government. The bill received the nod in 2018 by the Japanese Parliament, setting the stage for establishing physical casinos. Over the last 4 years, gambling companies such as Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts, Genting Singapore and Galaxy Entertainment have dominated the casino gambling space in Japan.

Osaka, Tokyo and Yokohama are the main cities hosting physical casinos. To curb addiction, especially among the Japanese locals, the government set an entrance fee of 6000 yen ($53). Other nationals are allowed in for free to encourage international tourists, especially from China. The aim is to make Japan an alternative gambling hub for international tourism in Asia, rivalling Singapore and Macau.

Web Casino Gambling in Japan

Online casinos are illegal in Japan. However, gamblers can still use offshore betting companies that have customised their site to accommodate Japanese punters. They explore the anti-gambling Japanese laws loopholes to launch their online casinos. With this development, casino.online seeks to review these casinos. It also hopes to share restrictions set by the Casino Administration Committee and how online casinos utilise the loopholes to bring in online casino games.

Online.casino and its Approach to Gambling

The casino review site does not have a preference for any casino or advocate for gambling. Their work is to give punters factual information on gambling, which they can use to make decisions. They will continue their unbiased coverage as they enter Japan, reviewing all offline and online casino sites.

Online.casino’s working philosophy is reputation, informative, noteworthy, genuine and opaque (RINGO). The platform seeks to decipher the complexity of online gambling in Japan and give its followers the best review of gambling companies in the country. Besides casino review, they also run a gambler sensitisation campaign using a mascot name, Mr Ringo. The aim is to share with its audience the best casino to stake and handle some frequently asked questions on slots, payment options and eligibility.