Gambling in Japan

In Japan, most forms of gambling are generally banned by the Criminal Code chapter 23. ^[1] However, there are several exceptions, including betting on horse racing and certain motor sports. ^[2]

Contents

• Public sports
• Lottery
• Pachinko
• Illegal gambling
• Casinos
• Efforts to legalize
• Legalization and bidding
• Casino Administration Committee
• Media depictions
• See also
• References

Public sports, lottery, and toto (football pools) are held under special laws in order to increase the income of national and local governments as well as to offer a form of entertainment.

Since 2018, casino operators have been bidding for three legal licenses to operate an integrated casino resort in Japan, including in Osaka, Tokyo, and Yokohama. The Japanese government established the Casino Administration Committee in 2020 to supervise and manage Japan's resort operators.

Public sports

Kōei kyōgi (Japanese : 公営競技, public sports) are public races that can be gambled on legally. There are four types: horse racing, bicycle racing, powerboat racing, and asphalt speedway motorcycle racing. They are allowed by special laws and are regulated by local governments or governmental corporations.

All four types employ parimutuel betting. The prize pool for gamblers on these races are 70–80% of total sales. Betting tickets are available at numerous circuits and ticket booths (off-track betting) within many cities.

Lottery

Takarakuji (Japanese : 宝くじ), i.e., lotteries, are held by prefectures or large cities on a regular basis all throughout the calendar year.

There are three main types of lotteries: unique number lotteries, selected number lotteries, and scratch cards. Each lottery ticket is sold at 100 to 500 yen, and the top cash prizes are usually 100 million yen or more.

The takarakuji law stipulates that the entire prize pool for any given lottery is to be less than 50% of total sales, with the rest going to local government organizations and charities.

Takarakuji tickets are available at takarakuji booth and stores in many cities, with some outlets becoming particularly popular. ^[3] Tickets for selected number lotteries can be also bought at some ATMs.

Pachinko

Pachinko is a pinball-like slot machine game. It is officially not considered gambling because Japanese laws regard pachinko as an exception to the criminal code on gambling for historical, monetary, and cultural reasons. Pachinko parlors can be found all over Japan, and they are operated by private companies. As of 2011, there are about 12,480 pachinko parlors in Japan. ^[4] In 2018, Japan spent $200 billion on pachinko each year. Also, "nearly half of all leisure time in Japan" was spent in pachinko parlors. ^[5]

In pachinko, when a player's ball makes it into a special hole to activate the slot machine and a jackpot is made, they are rewarded with more balls. Players can then exchange the balls for prizes of different value at a booth in the parlor. Money cannot be awarded at pachinko parlors as this would be in violation of the criminal code. However, players almost always exchange pachinko balls for special tokens, usually slips of gold encased in plastic, and then "sell" them at a neighboring shop for cash. This neighbouring shop is often owned by the parlor, but as long as the winners do not receive cash in the parlor premises itself, the law is not broken. ^[6]

On April 4, 2011, Shintaro Ishihara, the Governor of Tokyo at the time, spoke against the pachinko parlors, arguing that the popular game together with vending machines were wasting electricity, at "nearly 10 million kilowatts of energy[ sic ]". He said that following the consequences the earthquake of March 11, 2011, the government asked people to reduce energy consumption, but asking was not enough and the government order was not enacted. ^[7] In 2016, the Parliament voted to approve the said law that will eventually "alter the gambling industry in Japan". ^{[7] [8]}

Illegal gambling

Yakuza are known to operate illegal casinos in Japan. In addition to traditional casino games, mahjong can be played for money and many mahjong parlors have ties with the Yakuza to assist collecting debt from players who default.

Another illegal gambling opportunity is offered by mobile gambling sites. At these sites, Japanese gamblers can play rock-paper-scissors and win cash prizes. In 2010, the owner of one of these sites was arrested and confessed to earning over $1 million. The players purchased betting tickets for ¥315. They could win ¥1,000 if they won three times in a row while ¥10,000 was the prize for those who won five times in a row. ^[9]

Casinos

Media depictions

Gambling is the central theme of many Japanese fictional works, including manga, anime, film, and literature. Examples of notable franchises centered on gambling in Japanese culture include Kakegurui (Compulsive Gambler) , Gambling Apocalypse: Kaiji , Usogui , Akagi , Legendary Gambler Tetsuya , Liar Game , Mahjong Hishō-den: Naki no Ryū , One Outs , Rio: Rainbow Gate! , and Tobaku Haōden Zero .

See also

• Bookmaker

Related Research Articles

Pachinko (パチンコ) is a mechanical game originating in Japan that is used as an arcade game, and much more frequently for gambling. Pachinko fills a niche in Japanese gambling comparable to that of the slot machine in the West as a form of low-stakes, low-strategy gambling.

MGM Resorts International is an American hospitality and entertainment company. It operates resorts in Las Vegas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Maryland, Ohio, New Jersey, Macau, Shanghai, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Sanya, including the Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand and Park MGM.

Gambling in Macau has been legal since the 1850s when the Portuguese government legalised the activity in the autonomous colony. Since then, Macau has become known worldwide as the "Gambling capital of the world". It is the only place in China where casino gambling is legal.

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Gambling in the United Kingdom is regulated by the Gambling Commission on behalf of the government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) under the Gambling Act 2005. This Act of Parliament significantly updated the UK's gambling laws, including the introduction of a new structure of protections for children and vulnerable adults, as well as bringing the burgeoning Internet gaming sector within British regulation for the first time.

Gaming law is the set of rules and regulations that apply to the gaming or gambling industry. Gaming law is not a branch of law in the traditional sense but rather is a collection of several areas of law that include criminal law, regulatory law, constitutional law, administrative law, company law, contract law, and in some jurisdictions, competition law. At common law, gambling requires consideration, chance and prize, legal terms that must be analyzed by gaming lawyers within the context of any gaming operation.

Light & Wonder, Inc., formerly Scientific Games Corporation (SG), is an American corporation that provides gambling products and services. The company is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited is a developer, owner and operator of integrated resorts with entertainment and casino gaming facilities in Asia and Europe. Based in Hong Kong, the company is listed on the NASDAQ. Originally known as Melco Crown Entertainment, Melco Resorts was founded in 2004 as a joint venture between Melco International and Crown Limited. Melco Crown became Melco Resorts & Entertainment in May 2017 and currently operates as a subsidiary of Melco International. Melco Resorts owns a number of integrated casino resorts, having launched Altira Macau in 2007, City of Dreams Macau in 2009, City of Dreams Manila in 2015, Studio City Macau in 2015 and City of Dreams Mediterranean in 2021, the largest casino-resort in Europe. It also operates the Mocha Clubs slot machine brand.

The Gambling Commission is an executive, non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for regulating gambling and supervising gaming law in Great Britain. Its remit covers arcades, betting, bingo, casinos, slot machines and lotteries, as well as remote gambling, but not spread betting. Free prize competitions and draws are free of the Commission's control under the "Gambling Act 2005".

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Legal forms of gambling in the U.S. state of North Carolina include the North Carolina Education Lottery, three Indian casinos, charitable bingo and raffles, and low-stakes "beach bingo". North Carolina has long resisted expansion of gambling, owing to its conservative Bible Belt culture.

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Kazuo Okada is a Japanese billionaire businessman, and art collector.

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Legal forms of gambling in the U.S. state of Connecticut include two Indian casinos, parimutuel wagering, charitable gaming, the Connecticut Lottery, and sports betting.

References