Over ¥6 Trillion Bet on Sports Through Overseas Websites; Tokyo Symposium Proposes Ratifying Macolin Convention
A discussion on sports betting is held at a symposium in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on Wednesday.
Residents of Japan are estimated to have illegally bet at least ¥6.4503 trillion through overseas sports betting websites in 2024, according to a recent report.
The Council for Sports Ecosystem Promotion, a general incorporated foundation that works to support the sports industry, unveiled the report on Wednesday at a symposium held in Tokyo.
The council commissioned an overseas research firm and other organizations to estimate the amount of betting from Japan, based on data from betting operators in countries where it is legal to gamble on sports. According to the survey, the total amount exceeded ¥6 trillion, of which ¥1.0183 trillion was wagered on Japanese sports.
The largest value of bets were placed on professional baseball at ¥528.1 billion, followed by soccer at ¥333.4 billion and basketball at ¥86.9 billion.
A total of ¥4.9112 trillion was wagered from around the world on Japanese sports, with soccer, including the J-League, accounting for ¥2.8534 trillion.
At the symposium, Diet members and former athletes were among those discussing the need for international cooperation to address illegal gambling that crosses borders and the risk of athletes becoming involved in illegal acts. It was proposed that Japan ratify the Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions, known as the Macolin Convention, which was put into effect in 2019 by the Council of Europe.
The symposium participants also called for cracking down on illegal operators and identifying cheating.
'Illegal betting is spreading rapidly, and if nothing is done, the Japanese sports industry could become a target,' said council member Toshikazu Yamaguchi, the president of The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings.
Attorney Hironori Inagaki, representative director of the council, said the council intends to quickly establish a domestic organization with the aim of ratifying the convention.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Two Suspects in Custody After Japanese Nationals Shot Dead in Manila
Local authorities in the Philippines announced on Monday that they have detained two suspects in connection with the shooting deaths of two Japanese nationals in Manila. According to the Japanese Embassy in the country and the local authorities, the two Japanese were fatally shot from behind by a man who approached them on the street immediately after they got out of a taxi in Manila on Friday night. The suspects stole their belongings and fled the scene. Local authorities report that the face of one of the suspects was identified in security footage taken when they bought cigarettes after the crime. Additionally, two empty shell casings and a motorbike believed to have been ridden and then abandoned by the suspects were found at the scene and in the surrounding area.
Kyodo News
4 hours ago
- Kyodo News
1,600 Ministop stores in Japan suspend deli sales over fake expiry dates
TOKYO - The operator of the Japanese convenience store chain Ministop said Monday it has suspended the sale of deli items at some 1,600 stores as expiry dates of certain foods prepared by its kitchens have been faked. While no health damage has been reported so far, sales of onigiri and bento lunch boxes were halted from Aug. 9, and other deli dishes from Monday. Ministop Co. found that some store workers extended expiry dates by not placing labels on items for 1 to 2 hours after they were prepared at in-house kitchens, while others removed expiry stickers and relabeled them with false dates. The misconduct has been discovered at 23 stores in Tokyo, Saitama, Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, and Fukuoka prefectures.
Asahi Shimbun
5 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
2 Japanese tourists fatally shot in Manila as robberies surge
MANILA–Two Japanese men in a popular nightlife area were shot and killed here on Aug. 15 amid a growing wave of gun-related robberies targeting foreign nationals, the Japanese Embassy reported. According to local investigators, the victims were tourists in their 40s and 50s, who were staying at a nearby hotel. The shooting occurred around 10:40 p.m. as the two men exited a taxi in a bustling entertainment district known for its karaoke bars, restaurants and hotels frequented by foreign visitors. Witnesses reported that a man approached the victims, opened fire and fled the scene on a motorcycle after stealing their belongings. Since October, around 20 robbery cases involving Japanese victims have been reported in the greater Manila area. In one high-profile case in December, two Japanese men were assaulted in Manila, with one of them, a man in his 60s, sustaining serious gunshot wounds during a bag-snatching attack. In May, a Japanese restaurant in Makati was robbed at gunpoint, with Japanese customers being threatened and their valuables taken. In response to the growing threat, the Japanese Embassy has issued a warning, advising Japanese nationals to avoid walking around at night and urging them not to resist in the event of a robbery attempt. (This article was written by Toshiya Obu in Manila and Shin Kasahara in Bangkok.)
