Urgent Survey of Experienced Online Casinos March 7, 2025

To all members of the press
2025年3月7日
The Society Concerned about Gambling Addiction
How did you get started in online casinos? Influenced by free version ads and affiliates?

23.7% “Saw it in an advertisement or on a social networking service” and 22.6% “Saw it on YouTube or a distribution site.

~Emergency Survey of Experienced Online Casino Users~.
The Association for Gambling Addiction Studies (located in Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative: Noriko Tanaka) conducted an urgent survey of people with online casino experience regarding gambling addicts and criminal behavior, especially black market gambling.
(Number of respondents: 93, Respondent attribute: Experienced online casino users connected to the support of the Association for Gambling Addiction Problem Studies)
*22 (23.7%) started playing online casinos because they “saw them in advertisements or on SNS” and 21 (22.6%) started playing online casinos because they “saw them on YouTube or distribution sites and became interested”.
* 30.1% said “within a week” and 33.3% said “within a month” from the time they started playing online casinos to the time they incurred debt.
* Nearly half of respondents (46.2%) “Yes” to criminal activity caused by online casinos. Some of them include black market job.
* 52.7% “did not know” that online casinos are illegal.
The most common reasons for starting to play online casinos were “advertisements and social networking sites” and “YouTube and distribution sites. The “free” version of online casinos is currently not regulated as a form of assisted gambling. In addition, illegal advertisements are displayed on social networking platforms, and there are also affiliate marketers and YouTubers who direct people to online casinos. Unless these measures are taken, there will be no end to the number of people who are lured into online casinos. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
As for the time between starting to play online casinos and going into debt, 30% of the respondents said they went into debt “within a week,” an astonishingly quick turnaround. When “within a month” is included, the percentage rises to over 60%. This debt can easily lead to criminal activity, with 46.2% of the respondents indicating that they have committed criminal acts at online casinos. This includes so-called “black market jobs” such as “trading accounts,” “reselling cell phones,” and “fraud. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
More than 52.7% of respondents “did not know” that online casinos are illegal, indicating that many people play online casinos without being aware of the illegality of online casinos.
When asked how they got started with online casinos, 22 (23.7%) said, “Because I saw them in advertisements or on social networking sites,” and 21 (22.6%) said, “Because I saw them on YouTube or distribution sites and became interested.

Regarding the length of time between starting to play online casinos and going into debt, 30.1% of respondents said within a week and 33.3% said within a month.

Regarding criminal activity caused by online casinos, 46.2% of the respondents answered “Yes. Nearly half of the respondents reported criminal activity.

When asked about the type of criminal activity, some respondents indicated that they have engaged in so-called black market jobs, such as “trading accounts,” “reselling cell phones,” and “fraud.

When asked if they knew that online casinos were illegal, more than a majority (52.7%) said they did not know.
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In response to these results, the Association again requested that online casinos be addressed.
Urgent Action Needed to Address Illegal Online Casinos
While illegal online casinos are expanding rapidly, Japan’s online casino regulations are still lagging behind, and those involved in online casinos in Japan, such as financial agents, affiliates, and Youtubers, are still allowed to operate unchecked. We call for urgent measures such as site blocking, strengthening measures against those involved (affiliates and money transmitters) in Japan, imposing stricter penalties, and securing budgets and specialized personnel to crack down on them.
(1) Total ban on online casino advertisements, and other restrictions on solicitation measures, stricter penalties, and tougher crackdowns
Do not allow the excuse of a free version of an online casino. The free version does not make a company. It is obvious that the free version ads are made for the purpose of leading people to the paid version. Currently, in Japan, the free version is not even enforced as a form of gambling assistance.
Even in the free version, advertisements about online casinos should be explicitly prohibited.
* Please also penalize platforms such as X that carry illegal commercials.
* Please severely punish affiliates and Youtubers who direct people to online casinos.
* Free point promotions offered to get people hooked on casinos are one of the reasons to start an online casino. Please consider regulating these points as well.
(2) Notification of illegal casino operators to the home country
Even if the company is illegal in Japan, if you go to its home country (the UK), the parent company is a respectable listed company.
Please lodge a formal protest from Japan to the Casino Control Commission in your home country or to the parent company.
* The United Kingdom has a Gambling Act and a Gambling Commission.
* Please also request Malta and Curacao (Dutch territory) to correct the abuse of casino licenses.
(3) Implementation of blocking of overseas online casino sites
Many European countries and other countries have adopted some kind of blocking measures against illegal online casinos from overseas, but Japan has not taken any measures. Japan should consider and quickly implement a system to protect its citizens by blocking online casino sites from overseas based on reports and investigations so that the sites cannot be viewed in Japan.
(4) Guidance by METI on settlement-related matters, and tighter police control
Credit card services exist for online casinos. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry should provide guidance to credit card companies. In addition, many of the payment agents that have been caught in connection with online casinos are involved in money laundering. The National Police Agency should strengthen enforcement against illegal settlement agents who handle money related to illegal transactions under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Control Law and the Organized Crime Punishment Law.
(5) Reinforcement of the system for online casino countermeasures and securing of budget and professional human resources
In order to strengthen measures against online casinos, please establish a specialized organization to evaluate and monitor the efforts of various ministries and agencies and update countermeasures, as well as promptly strengthen the enforcement system by increasing the number of personnel with expertise in this area.
Launched in February 2014, the organization raises awareness of correct knowledge about gambling addiction, provides information and support to those affected and their families, conducts prevention education, builds partnerships among supporters, and makes policy recommendations. Website: https://www.scga.jp/
Noriko Tanaka
Representative of the Association for Problem Gambling, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Research Student, Drug Dependence Research Division.
She is the wife of a third-generation gambler whose grandfather, father, and husband were all gamblers, and has herself recovered from gambling and shopping addictions.
Author of “The Third Gambling Wife (Koubunken)”, “Gambling Addiction (Kadokawa Shinsho)”, “A Complete Gambling Problem Handling Manual for Families (Ask Human Care)”.
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