Japan stars questioned by police over alleged illegal gambling

Police questioned several public figures, including Olympic players and comedic talents, amidst a record-high number of illegal gambling site visitors in Japan this year.

This was revealed in light of a 2024 police investigation accusing 279 people of visiting online casinos in Japan, doubling 2023’s count.

Despite increased levels of betting overseas, online gambling is illegal in Japan, even if the sites operate legally elsewhere. The only exceptions are for events such as horse racing.

Casino players tracked by the police could face a fine of 500,00 yen ($3,350) and up to 3 years of prison time for repeat offenders.

According to a source from Japantoday, police were able to find users through the bank accounts of Japanese gambling operators. They would trace transactions back to the original players.

However, the data of 279 users merely scratches the surface, as the number of estimated gamblers in Japan is closer to 3 million.

Tokyo Olympics player amongst suspects Koki Niwa, a Tokyo Olympics men’s table tennis bronze medalist from Japan, was amongst those questioned by the Metropolitan Police Department. He is suspected of using crypto assets to fund bets in overseas online casino sites while in Japan. Niwa admitted that he visited the sites after seeing an online ad but stated that he was “unaware that it was illegal.” He is not the only one to claim ignorance. Most of the 279 accused were unaware online gambling was illegal in Japan, per government data. 10 comedians were questioned by police According to The Mainichi, 10 comedians from the Yoshimoto Kogyo talent agency have also been brought to the police for voluntary questioning. They were also accused of visiting and placing bets on foreign casino sites while in Japan. Two of the 10 questioned by police have been revealed: Kazunobu Kubota, 45, of the comedy duo Toro Salmon, and Kuruma Takahira, 30, of the Reiwa Roman comedic duo. During questioning, Kubota maintained that he never made bets. On the other hand, Takahira, alongside several other comedians, largely confessed to gambling. The Yoshimoto Kogyo is an agency that recruits upcoming comedian talents who regularly perform at the theatre located in Namba, Japan. A spokesperson from Yoshimoto stated to Mainichi, “We are currently investigating the facts.” The agency publicized that it would place some of its affiliates on hiatus over potential compliance breaches on February 5, 2025. In other news, Japanese crypto company Metaplanet plans to buy 21,000 Bitcoin by 2026. Featured image: Nick Kwan / Pexels

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