Illegal wagers on overseas sports betting sites top ¥6.4 trillion, study finds
Residents in Japan placed an estimated ¥6.45 trillion ($44 billion) in bets last year on overseas sports gambling websites — which are illegal in Japan — including around ¥1 trillion wagered on domestic sporting events, according to a sports organization report.
Tokyo-based nonprofit Council for Sports Ecosystem Promotion, which released the report on Wednesday, said the size of the illegal cross-border market has grown significantly in recent years.
The findings, based on data from overseas market research firms and licensed betting operators in jurisdictions where sports gambling is legal, comes after two baseball players were sent to prosecutors earlier this month for allegedly placing bets from Japan using overseas sports gambling sites.
According to the sports organization report, people in Japan placed a total of ¥5.43 trillion in bets on sports outside of Japan via overseas sports betting sites. Another ¥1.02 trillion was bet on Japanese sports, with professional baseball attracting the largest share, at ¥528.1 billion, followed by soccer, at ¥333.4 billion, and basketball, at ¥86.9 billion.
By contrast, sports lotteries, which are legal in Japan, generated ¥133.6 billion in sales in fiscal 2024, which ended in March, underscoring the enormous scale of the illegal market in comparison.
Japan strictly prohibits gambling, allowing betting only on certain government-sanctioned activities such as horse racing and motorboat racing. Residents who use online casinos, even those operated legally abroad, can face fines of up to ¥500,000 ($3,400) or up to three years in prison for repeated offenses.
In part due to low awareness that betting on overseas sports gambling sites is illegal, access to overseas sports betting platforms has surged in recent years. Japanese-language gambling sites and ads on social media targeting Japanese users have also proliferated, contributing to what the sports organization describes as a growing social issue.
As a result, local authorities are struggling to keep pace with enforcement. A record 279 people were arrested in Japan in 2024 for involvement with online betting sites — an increase of around 160% from the previous year.
Before the widespread use of smartphones, people would use online gambling sites at specialized establishments in entertainment districts. Recently, however, many people use their smartphones instead, and purchase points having transferred funds via bank transfers or from a credit card, making gambling more accessible for the average person.
A survey released by the National Police Agency in March estimated that 3.37 million people in the country had experience using online gambling sites. Notably, 43.5% of respondents said they were unaware that such gambling was illegal in Japan.
Despite the prevalence of the issue, Japanese police face tall jurisdictional hurdles in cracking down on cases in which operators are based overseas.
It plans to discuss the situation with sports organizations in other countries to prevent cross-border illegal sports betting.
The organization also plans to step up efforts to raise public awareness, to protect athletes and the integrity of sports from threats such as match-fixing and corruption, as domestic systems and measures to prevent it lag behind those in place overseas.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
9 hours ago
- Japan Times
Junto Nakatani wins slugfest against Ryosuke Nishida to unify WBC and IBF titles
Junto Nakatani did not need anyone to tell him that Naoya 'Monster' Inoue was sitting ringside for his WBC and IBF bantamweight unification bout against Ryosuke Nishida. 'I saw him while I was looking up at the big screens,' he said with a chuckle. Nakatani (31-0 put on a show for Japan's most famous fighter, winning an electric and hard-hitting bout to retain his WBC title, relieve Nishida of the IBF belt and remain on a collision course with Inoue. Boxing fans around the world are salivating at the prospect of a blockbuster showdown between Nakatani, an undefeated three-weight champion, and also unbeaten Inoue. That fight, which both boxers have agreed to stage, could come in the spring of 2026. Nakatani, though, had to get past Nishida first. The bout got off to a start worthy of Natakani's 'Big Bang' nickname, as the pair fought at a frantic pace from the sound of the opening bell, as if each had the same strategy to land big blows early and often. 'Being aggressive in the first round and damaging my opponent was my strategy,' Nakatani said. 'I think it was successful.' The crowd, sensing early on that it might be watching something special, roared in approval through the first few action-packed rounds as Nakatani attacked with vicious, looping left-handed punches and uppercuts as Nishida tried to poke through his defenses. Nakatani managed to land a couple of blows early on that caused Nishida's eye to swell. Nishida's eye kept getting worse as Nakatani pushed forward. He was was exclaimed by the ringside doctor in the fifth round. The fight was stopped after the sixth due to Nishida suffering a dislocated shoulder. 'It was my first time to face a fighter like that, and that helped me focus more, and my motivation was even higher than in practice," Nakatani said. Earlier, kickboxer-turned-boxer Tenshin Nasukawa maintained his perfect record with a victory over Victor Santillian. This was a tough fight,' Nasukawa said. 'He was a really tough opponent.' Nasukawa won via unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the fight, 100-90, 99-91 and 99-91. He sounded less-than-pleased after the bout as he stood in the ring drenched in sweat and with blood visible over his left eye. 'I was not able to do well in the match,' he said. The good thing is that we have a lot of work to do.' Nasukawa, who many fans outside Japan saw for the first time in 2022, when he faced former boxing great Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a high-profile exhibition on New Year's Eve, improved to 7-0 as a pro boxer. He ditched his famous platinum blonde look and fought with jet black hair, with the character for 'Ten' shaved into the right side of his head. He walked out to Eikichi Yazawa's 'Tomarabai Ha-Ha,' and his green and black robe glittered under the spotlight once he reached the ring. Nasukawa landed a couple of solid blows in the fourth round, but Santillan did not look to be in immediate danger. Nasukawa, though, rocked his opponent with three lefts to the head in the ninth inning, breathing life into the partisan crowd. The fighters aggressively chased the win in the 10th and final round, which devolved into desperate, wild swings from both before the bell rang and Nasukawa wrapped his arms around Santillan. In other fights, Tomoya Tsuboi survived a 10-round battle against Vietnamese fighter Van Thao Tran to win the vacant WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight title. Tsuboi could not have asked for a better start to his career, as he claimed a title just 88 days after making his pro debut with a win over Boonrueang Phayom. Tsuboi defeated Tran via unanimous decision, displaying his speed and hitting his opponent with flurries of punches at points during the fight. 'I felt that Tran was very strong physically and mentally, and it was not going to be easy to knock him down,' Tsuboi said. 'So I knew it might go 10 rounds.' The Osaka native later said he wanted to work on finishing off his opponents in future fights. 'I think I learned a lot today by fighting through 10 rounds,' he said. Riku Masuda lived up to his growing stature as the successor of the nickname 'God's Left' in the first main bout of the undercard when he floored Michell Banquez in the opening round of their bantamweight bout. Former bantamweight champion Shinsuke Yamanaka was known as 'God's Left' because of his prodigious power, and Masuda is looking to inherit the mantle from the retired great. He looked worthy of the name after following a pair of right-handed jabs with a left to the head that sent Banquez straight to the canvas. Masuda, who has championship aspirations, is ranked No. 7 in the IBF rankings, No. 8 by the WBO and No. 11 by the WBC. 'I think I proved I am a championship-caliber fighter tonight,' he said.
Kyodo News
9 hours ago
- Kyodo News
Funeral held for Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima
KYODO NEWS - 5 hours ago - 17:22 | Sports, All A private funeral was held Sunday in Tokyo for Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima, with former Yomiuri Giants teammates and players he managed at the club in attendance. The People's Honor Award recipient, who rose to stardom for his on-field exploits during the country's era of rapid economic growth in the 1960s and 1970s, died Tuesday of pneumonia at age 89. His popularity transcended sports. "You brought pride to the people of Japan," Nippon Professional Baseball all-time home run leader Sadaharu Oh said in a message to Nagashima during the funeral. Oh and Nagashima, together nicknamed "O-N," led the Giants to nine consecutive Central League and Japan Series titles from 1965 to 1973. After his storied 17-year playing career, Nagashima managed the Tokyo-based club. "Shigeo Nagashima will always be with me," former New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui said. "And that makes me happy." During his second stint as manager, Nagashima helped Matsui become Yomiuri's cleanup hitter. Matsui went on to play in the major leagues from 2003. Related coverage: Tributes to Nagashima pour in from Japanese sports world Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima dead at 89
10 hours ago
Victims Mourned 17 Years after Akihabara Indiscriminate Attack
News from Japan Society Jun 8, 2025 21:59 (JST) Tokyo, June 8 (Jiji Press)--Mourners visited Tokyo's Akihabara district Sunday, marking the 17th anniversary of an indiscriminate attack there that left 17 people dead or injured. Some voiced concerns that memories of the tragic incident may be fading. Shinichiro Murase, 55, a civil servant from the city of Yokohama, south of Tokyo, said that he was visiting Akihabara on the day of the incident. The sounds of helicopters made him aware that something had happened, Murase recalled. He then saw crowds of people as well as fire engines and ambulances, but still did not exactly know what was going on. Murase comes to Akihabara and lays flowers for the victims almost every year on June 8. "I hope an indiscriminate attack will never happen again. It's truly senseless." [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
