Japan investigates 6 comedians for alleged online gambling
The six men allegedly used their smartphones and computers to gamble online.
Japan.- The Metropolitan Police Department in Tokyo has reported that it is investigating six comedians from the Yoshimoto Kogyo talent agency who are suspected of gambling online through Sportsbet.io and other websites from January 2023 to December 2024. Police believe the comedians gambled during work breaks or while travelling. One of them, Dai Yoshimoto, admitted to gambling CNY27m (US$184,000) in online casinos between 2022 and last May, losing more than CNY5m.
On March 25, prime minister Shigeru Ishiba’s cabinet approved a new plan intended to curb online gambling. The move came after a survey conducted by Japan’s National Police Agency (NPA) found that 3.37 million people in the country gambled at online casinos, spending around JPY1.24tn (US$8.4bn) annually.
According to The Japan Times, the plan includes tougher penalties for payment collection services and for those who promote online casinos and receive a commission for referrals. It would ban online casino ads and introduction sites The government will also introduce new social media ads reminding people that online casino gambling is illegal.
However, Noriko Tanaka, representative director of The Society Concerned about the Gambling Addiction has said the government needs to do more. She said: “The government says online casinos will be subject to stricter controls. But what exactly will this involve? In order to enforce stricter controls, it will be necessary to take legislative action.”
Online gambling in Japan is illegal and can be punished with fines of up to JNY500,000 (US$3,282) and prison sentences of up to three years. A land-based casino is in development in Osaka and horse racing betting is allowed in Japan.
